Ancestral Vengeance
by GradGirl2010
Summary: One by one the Coopers will fall. Their thieving reputation destroyed. The honor of their lineage shall be forever tainted by the dirty little secret they keep. Sly Cooper, lost in time's stream, will be torn apart piece by piece. Left to rot in his family's shame. That is, unless, an old friend can carry him past those shadows, and back to the light.
1. Message from Beyond

**Sly 5**

 **Ancestral Vengeance**

 **One by one the Coopers will fall. Their thieving reputation destroyed. The honor of their lineage shall be forever tainted by the dirty little secret they keep. Sly Cooper, lost in time's stream, will be torn apart piece by piece. Left to rot in his family's shame. That is, unless, an old friend can carry him past those shadows, and back to the light.**

 **Message from Beyond**

 **If you don't like it, DON'T READ OR COMMENT! That's all I'm saying!**

 **Also, a few of you may recall I posted this some thousands of years ago. Well now I'm reposting. I've revised certain bits. Hope you enjoy it.**

 **xxx**

 **(Bentley POV)**

 _Six months…that's how long it's been since Sly disappeared. It felt more like six years. Often times I found myself journeying back to the sight of Sly's disappearance. I wasn't alone. Carmelita and Murray walk by there every now and again as well. And each time grew more and more painful._

 _We were all hoping, one day, that crafty raccoon would pop out of nowhere and make some jocular comment like, "Hey pal! Did ya miss me?" Or, "You look green, Bentley. Do you need a Doctor?" Those desires…were nothing more than hopeless fantasies now. Bentley's head dropped to the ground. A lone tear splashed on his lap. That six months soon became a year. I still have yet to TRULY give up. But my mind was screaming for me to throw in the towel. My heart refused._

 _Carmelita would bust into the Interpol maximum security prison; demanding Le Paradox tell her how to find Sly. How to fix the time machine! Not only did the skunk refuse to help, he stated he had no idea where Sly could have wound up. The time machine he used was on –in laymen's terms – shuffle. Sly could have ended up in the far future or distant past. And there was no way to get him back._

 _I know I said I get discouraged but never give up…I think it's time I change my slogan. All of my genius…all of my tech…even the DNA modification I used on Sly's binocucom so he could find Salim – nothing worked. Bentley swatted his hand, crashing his equipment to the ground. Nothing brought me any closer to finding Sly. Hell! Who was to say…to say…the Cooper was even…Bentley clapped his hands to his face, crying heavily in despair. My best friend…he's gone. Sly's gone…SLLLYYYYYYY!_

 **xxx**

As Bentley turned off the lights to his lab for the final time, his computer screen flicked on, A message icon pinged on the homescreen. Answering the call, Bentley was surprised to see he had received a video message from an old friend. A friend he, Sly, and Murray met after a job they pulled in Istanbul many years back. Opening the message, a young female Snow Leopard with sky blue skin fur appeared on the monitor. Her bright magenta eyes filled Bentley with such elation he had to take a puff of his inhaler to calm down. It's been a while since he had seen such a friendly face. It was nice to see friends reappearing.

Eager to hear what the Lady Leopard had to say, Bentley quickly clicked on play and listened intently. " _Hi, Bentley_." The leopard waved. " _It's Alauna. It's been quite a while, hasn't it_?" She giggled nervously. Her voice went hoarse a few times. Obviously she had been planning out what she's been wanting to say. " _I'm glad you kept your old email. I was worried you'd changed it after that mishap with Tsao stealing your computer._ " She reminisced, fiddling with her long black hair. Bentley religiously sent Alauna detailed chronicles of The Cooper Gang's travels. Who they met, who they fought, what they stole. The latest caper involving the Cooper Vault must have engrossed her. She always was the Cooper Gang's biggest fan. " _Listen, I would love to sit down with a bag of popcorn and play nostalgia, but I have something you really need to see._ " Bentley was intrigued by the level of urgency in her tone. " _Attached to this message is a photo from the Egyptian pyramids I've been giving a lecture on. I translated the text...sort of._ " A wide smirk graced her feline face." _I think you'll find it interesting. I did._ " She winked. " _Give me a shout when you're ready for a round the world trip."_ The video ended.

 **xxx**

 **(Bentley POV)**

 _It was nice to hear from Alauna. During a job Sly, Murray, and I pulled in Istanbul, we rescued and met Alauna, becoming close friends. But because of her 'Occupations' it made it hard for her to travel with us for too long a period of time. Thankfully we've been able to keep in touch with her. I always enticed her with juicy bits of our capers. She ate them up like Murray does ice cream. She begged me for more deets almost every other week or month. A regular kid shaking her Christmas presents._

 _As I opened the attachments Alauna mentioned, I was intrigued to find a rocky stone slab as her subject of interest. On the slab was…poorly written – perhaps the worst I've seen – ancient hieroglyphics. Whoever wrote these should have been devoured by scarabs. Somehow Alauna managed to translate them. I need to make her a medal._

Stuck…in…Egypt.

Sly…in…common…of…second.

Need help.

-Cooper

 _At first I thought nothing of it. But when I saw a familiar, raccoon shaped, calling card attached next to the message, I stopped._ _Bentley's glasses slide halfway down his face. His hands froze, hovering over his keyboard in petrified shock._ _I almost fell out of my chair, and my shell. The entire world around me seemed to stop. I…I couldn't believe it. This wasn't – in the vernacular – ANCIENT hieroglyphics! It was Sly's cheap handwriting! But…how? How did Alauna get ahold of this? How was Sly able to reach out like that? Unless…_ _Bentley studied the message closer. He saw what was intended to be said._ _I gathered my things, super charged my chair, tablet, and soda hat, and I raced off for Murray and the Parisian Interpol office!_

 **That's all for now. I know it's short, but be patient with me. I'm not waiting another year or two for a fifth game.**


	2. Alauna Lea Pard

**Alauna Lea Parde**

 **Linguistic Bounty Hunter**

 **Next revise**

 **xxx**

 _Knocking on screen._ _Hello? Hellooo...Oh there you are. Sorry. Must be my..._ _breathes on screen, wipes away smudges._ _There you go. Much better. Can you hear me alright? You can? Good. Let's get the introductions out of the way._

 _Hi. My name is Alauna. Alauna Lea (Lay-Uh) Parde. I live in beautiful Cambridge, England, living out my days as a Linguist, and a part time tutor for those intrigued by languages. What? I need a day time profession. Lest my location and cover be blown. And trust me, though Interpol is out to get me, they aren't going to jeopardize the lives of those I've influenced to capture me. Least of all when Carmelita has made me her number 2 priority._

 _Why would Interpol and Carmelita be interested me? Simple. I'm what you call a Bounty Hunter. No not the Bounty Hunter who tracks down those skipping on a court date. I mean an ACTUAL Bounty Hunter. One who takes jobs of the highest bidder and completes them without fail. Surrender or die - the sole choices I grant before you make your final mistake. Of course my preference is to take my marks alive rather than dead. Do not misunderstand. I am not squeamish. There is just a heftier sum if my employers have full access to administer their version of justice. Hee-Hee. So naturally…I'm kind of wanted by Interpol. Something about causing international incidents, almost starting world war three. I dunno. All I know is that Inspector Fox hates me more than she hates Sly. And trust me, that's saying something. Perhaps she's jealous. I know she still has feelings for Sly. But Sly and I always held a stronger bond. We are criminals. More than that...we became brother and sister._

 **xxx**

 _Beep-Beep._ Alerted a laptop on a pure wood desk. A blue hand flipped the computer open. The reflection of Alauna stared into the sleeping screen. When a picture emerged, Alauna's lips spread in a warm smile. An E-Video from Bentley arrived. Wasting no time she opened it. A frantic Bentley toyed obsessively with the camera on his computer. Alauna couldn't help smirking, only to have it fade by the deep sadness in his spectacled eyes.

" _Hey...All-Allie. Nice to, uh, see you again. Well not really see you, but hear from you-DOH!_ " He face palmed his idiocy. Alauna giggled under a hand. _He's so cute._ " _Anyway. As you guessed, I received your message. I also included a link for my new email address. I didn't realize I've kept the same email for eight years._ " Alauna rolled her eyes. For all his brilliance, Bentley did, often, overlook the small contingencies. " _Not that I doubt your linguistic skills, Alauna. They rival that of my technological genius. But are you sure - ABSOLUTELY SURE - you translated it correctly? Not that I should doubt the impossible...but...you know._ " Alauna's heart tore slightly hearing the sadness waver in his voice. A lone tear trickled to his knee. " _Sorry I..._ " Sobs were beginning to break through. " _Gotta go!_ " The feed shut off.

Alauna immediately began to compose a reply. Not an email. An E-Video. "Bentley...I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

 **xxx**

 _You see, my grandparents - much like Sly's father - are professional criminals. Half of what they used to provide for my mother came from their occupational hazards. Since I was 10 – when I could get away from my studies – grandpa and grandma would take time to teach me the basics of fighting, and the importance of patience, strategy, and timing. Patience yields results, Timing brings victory, but neither is possible without Strategy._

 _For eight years I trained under them, honing my skills in weapon wielding and hand to hand combat. Undercover training, the art of bluffing and subterfuge, and of course evading arrest. Stealth obstacles were challenging, but the acrobatics that came with it were a synch. Eventually – without the formality of the pageantry – I graduated in my Grandparents eyes and was ready to choose my occupation. I chose Bounty hunter. Why? It was the only thing my grandparents hadn't picked. Ha-Ha._

 _That same day, my grandfather bestowed to me his Pyro-volvers. Revolvers which fired a focused and condensed bullet of pure heat. More damaging than a shock pistol, but can overheat easily. Luckily, my grandma was a legendary gunslinger. She taught me the basics, but I wound up making up techniques of my own. But I couldn't keep just the guns. I needed a weapon in case they become unavailable. With the help of a Japanese friend of mine – Natsumi Hirotomi – I constructed a shoto blade and katana. Thank you grandpa for being a lover of swords. With his help, I was a force to be reckoned with when wielding these bad boys. The sheath was a mahogany staff. The hilts of both my swords were smooth staff ends. When sheathed it will appear that I wear a Bo staff. But be careful, because I can cut you in half before you blink._

 _I trained vigorously for two years with those weapons. On the job was the best sort of training. Yes I've gotten caught and yes I've broken out. The only way to become Elite is to have one or ten failures in your repertoire. My repertoire – and job as a linguist of course - landed me in Istanbul, and - by sheer stroke of luck - paired me up with Sly and his friends. After that, for the last who knows how many years, we've joined up and taken on jobs. They were fun to work with._

 _How old would Sly be right now? I'm, what, 26. Sly's...28. Wow. I've known him, Bentley, Murray, and that wretch Carmelita for - wow - eight years. I swear it was longer than that. I plan to make it nine. Regardless of what events have spread us apart._

 _I bet you're wondering how I became mixed up with the Cooper Gang. Well that's easy. I met Sly and his Gang during one of my jobs in Istanbul. It was the first one I'd landed at the ripe old age of 18. Part of the rigorous training I was undergoing. I was lured to a museum of Turkish History by the rumor of a Curator collecting and selling priceless artifacts to the highest bidder. The Bounty for catching him in the act – Photos and recon – was 5,000 liras. Learning of his contacts in the process, an extra 10,000 liras. Of course I took the job. Coincidentally, the Cooper Gang was drawn there as well. But for a sparklier reason._

 _Not to sound haughty, but I should mention, as an Elite Bounty Hunter, I only take jobs of the highest quality. B to S rank only. C's and lower are tossed in the trash. Hey, even I have standards. Like Sly only stealing from other thieves, I only go after Bounties of the highest bidder and rank. The only catch is the higher the rank, the more law enforcement I run across. I may be a 'legitimate' law enforcer – as in I'm held in the same regard as a police officer or military solider – but I'm still a wanted criminal. I've stolen, committed murder, and even taken candy from babies. I've built quite the reputation. So taking jobs that involve me coming across Interpol or local police only help to increase my notoriety. And makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside._

 _I find jobs like any other Bounty Hunter would. Well…old fashioned bounty hunters anyway. The New Age of touch screens and hackers – creating a website will only make things easy for the police. So I utilize local hotspots. Taverns, school yards, court houses…What? I need to know the laws of the land before I move. Helps keep the charges against me lowered. I'm probably at…10 life sentences at least. Plus they have faces on the walls. I love faces. Let's me know who to look for. Then I just approach, offer my services to the client, and let things play out. Of course I've been double crossed. But I make sure to cover my tail before my…dramatic exits._

 _Before I had a chance to drop in on my Art Monger, a rogue potato soared passed my head. I glared out to the horizon, only to see a…pink hippo firing a potato gun. Another potato came at me and I cut it in half. THAT HIPPO WAS AIMING AT ME! Taking my Pyro-volver, I shot that house made weapon into scrap! I didn't realize until I heard something break that the hippo was distracting me. A raccoon with a cane broke the lock on the skylight window and was descending in. I was hoodwinked. Luckily I always get my vengeance._

 _Just before the Raccoon could get halfway to the floor, I tugged on his harness to get his attention. I threatened to cut the wire. He pleaded for me not to. That he needed to get the art on the list he had. Apparently he was after the stolen art too. Of course he had no intention of giving it back to the museum. But I wasn't hired to care about some old pictures and vases. I was hired to find a connection._

 _At the end of the night, Sly and I ended up killing two birds with one stone. Not only did Sly get to keep his originals, I managed to link the curator up with the Black Market Merchants and the forgers who planned on replacing everything. It was a good night, and I treated the Raccoon and his friends to a night on the town._

 _After I heard about Sly and the whole Cooper vault ordeal, I sort of kept to myself. As did Bentley and the rest of the gang they accumulated. We thought Sly deserved to settle down with the woman of his dreams. Even if he was lying through his teeth. Oh well. Who hasn't lied to the person they loved? Carmelita wasn't truthful either. But who am I to disrupt a blossoming romance. I'm a sucker for them._

 _I don't have a long family history like Sly. My ancestors and parents weren't bounty hunters, thieves, or anything like that. At least...I'm not sure. I don't exactly care much for genealogy. Well, my grandfather was a mercenary. So, technically speaking, he was the one who encouraged me towards my nightly occupation. He also taught me how to fight, with and without weapons. I've been told I take after him. But that's only because of my fighting style. But personality wise, I've been told I resemble my parents. Courtesy of my day job._

 _My parents were respectable people. Loving, caring, warm, and able to light up any room they walked into. My father was an Irish Archaeologist. My Mother was a British Anthropologist. Though their jobs seemed tedious to me, I enjoyed the fact that their work got me free trips around the world. Monaco, Prague, Alaska, even Egypt – I went everywhere. And everywhere I went, I discovered I had a fascination with languages and the characters that made up those languages. So, after graduating college, I earned a degree and job as a Linguist. I worked for the same Museum as my parents. The Museum of Latent Cultures. Our job was to discover the mysteries of a country's history – through the language, bones, and sites discovered – And uncover what a country may have lost centuries ago. It was fun…but didn't fill my other itch._

 _While I was intrigued with languages, I had that impulsive inner destructive side that needed to be filled. This was courtesy of my grandfather. He always told me about how his mother, father, and grandmother were soldiers of their own caliber. Mercenary, rogue soldier – great grandmother, and vigilante – grandmother. All of whom fought for their own reasons. To right a wrong police could not, participate in war but under their own orders, and to ensure soldier deaths were covered up. My parents took no interest in their business. But I did. I loved the thought of being able to work around the law. The Bronx of England needed a night hunter roaming the streets anyway._

 _I may seem over the top. But then again, so is Sly. We've managed to run into one another during our capers. And of course, Sly and I had to see which of us improved the most since our last encounter._ _Sighs sadly._ _When I first met the raccoon…I don't know...we connected. Spiritually of course. I may not have lost my family in a gruesome manner, but I was still alone in this world. Because of my nightly profession, my parents and I grew distant. I no longer know where they are. Quite frankly I don't care. My only friends were those I met along the way. My best friends were the Cooper gang. The last eight years I've known them and joined them on jobs, I wouldn't change them for the world. But I would change what transpired all of 12 months ago. I would throw in my Bounty Hunter service card if I could change that. Not that I have one. All I want is my sparring buddy back. I only hope that, once we figure out what's going on in Egypt, we'll be able to do that again. We'll spar, we'll laugh, and we'll fill the voids our parents left. We'll help each other forget the horrors our jobs have wrought. That I'll meet up with Bentley, Murray, and Sly and we'll be able to cause trouble for Interpol and local authorities._

 _My parents vanished without a trace. I won't let Sly do the same._

 **xxx**

Bentley sat at his desk, drumming his little fingers on the keyboard of his computer. He just listened to the message Alauna sent, and honestly, he still couldn't believe. His heart couldn't believe. So his mind searched for evidence to rejuvenate his hopes.

Grizz - Littering the Ice Age with his horrible art to dig up in the future and become a multibillionaire.

Le Paradox - Establishing a fake lineage in the past, and managing to take over the world of the present.

Recent time traveling proved all the more what Alauna discovered was real. So why wouldn't Bentley accept it? Because he didn't want to be hurt. Again. What is it Sly would say to him? "How do you know if you don't try?" Or something witty like, "Sitting on your shell won't solve anything."

Bentley slammed a fist on the desk, knocking over a cup of coffee. That settled it. He grabbed a phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Murray. Where are you?" Murray answered while the distinctive sounds of a fist breaking a nose in the background made Bentley cringe. "Spain? Good. Have the Van ready. I'll be there by tomorrow!...You'll see pal." He admired a photo of him, Sly, and Murray. "You'll see."

 **xxx**

 _I was in Egypt for an assignment given to me by my boss. An Egyptian Historian and his College Professor Friend needed Hieroglyphics translated for a seminar they were going to conduct for a national Embassy. Apparently a number of countries around the world were interested in what Egypt had to offer. So was I. I love Egyptian history._

 _Accompanied by Archaeologist Ham Star, and his crackerjack team of excavators, I was brought into the buried ruins of an aged old tomb said to be the torture chamber ancient Pharaohs used to interrogate their prisoners. My job was to find any and all hieroglyphics and document them for further study. Of course the excavation team would be helping me._

 _As the minutes turned to hours, I found myself immersed within Egypt's history. The dark secrets this chamber held; Queen Mary's purge of the Protestants seemed more like a harmless fox hunt compared to what was written on these walls. I was so engrossed in the timeline etched on one of the walls that I didn't realize I meandered into a spectator's booth. Turning on my flashlight, I studied the room. There were stone carved benches near a large window. It peered into a vast, open room. They were rusted and worn, but I was able to make out whips, spike studded sticks, something that bore a horrific resemblance to the Pear of Agony. Aged, blackened spots of blood were still on those walls. It was awful. I was overwhelmed to the point I actually sat where heartless – or desperate – generals sat. I had to turn my back. I couldn't look at it. That's when I saw it. It was the strangest thing I've ever seen._

 _In the spectator's booth, there was a corner of the back wall that left untouched. The rest of the wall was written with dates and the names of the unfortunate. But this one space was voided. Like someone left it like that purposefully. Then out of nowhere, words started to etch themselves into the stone. I rubbed my eyes and poured water on my face. Ensuring I wasn't going insane. Surprisingly I wasn't. Words, in the worst hieroglyphic characters I've ever seen, were writing themselves out right in front of me. I searched the room for some sort of explanation, but there was nothing. If the Ghost Adventures crew was there, they would be having a field day. Not to mention being paid big._

 _I quickly took a picture of the Glyphs. I should have videoed it. But just as swiftly – though slightly languid – as the glyphs appeared…they vanished. A giant hole was left in the wall. There was rubble in front of it. Like someone just broke the wall. Only in my case it just vanished into thin air._

' _WHAT'S GOING ON?' I screamed aloud. 'Were the ghosts of ancient Egypt trying to tell me something?' I don't know. All I knew was that I needed to analyze what I just photographed and get it back to someone._

 **xxx**

 _I returned to a bunker the team and I were utilizing as our base of operations with my pictures and a couple of pieces from the wall that I saw break in thin air. I hid myself in my trailer, hoping for some quiet. Though blasting my multi genre music isn't exactly quiet, it did help me focus. I found Katyusha, Simple and Clean, and Gungam Style very relaxing to work under. No. I do not have a preference of music._

 _After I finished translating the message, I noticed an odd symbol at the end. A familiarly odd symbol. A raccoon face. Wait? RACCOON?! I read the message over again, making sure I had it right._ _Alauna smiled elatedly._ _I did. I didn't know how, but I just translated a message written in Sly's drunkard handwriting. 'How was this possible?' I wondered. 'How was Sly in Ancient Egypt?' The last time I heard, about…a year and a half ago? Sly was living it up with Carmelita, pretending to have amnesia. How was he sending random messages from Ancient Egypt? And how long have I truly been out of the loop with their troublemaking? A year little over a year obviously. NOT THE POINT! Bentley needed to see this! I needed answers! I needed to know…what happened to my caper buddy?_

 _After eight years you'd think I'd be used to the Cooper Gang getting in and out of stranger mishaps. NOT!_

 **Short but sweet. Next chapter already posted**


	3. Time for a Field Trip

**Time**

 **for**

 **A Field Trip**

 **Leave some reviews, guys. Let me know what you think. Anything I need to correct or think I should make different. Alright. Here's another chapter.**

 **(8)**

Rusted chains dragging along the graveling ground. The glow of torches startling the slumbering spiders on their webs. Coarse traces of sand shaving grayish brown fur, sawing underlying skin. Small traces of blood left a trail. Heavy, pounding footsteps trudging across the sand grinding floor. A body shuffling over rubble, exhausted and broken moans grumbling from a parched throat. Two muscular Alligators dressed in Egyptian Attire had a prisoner by the arms, dragging him roughly on his knees. His clothing was torn and ripped into rags, blood soaking his fur.

"This one's lasted longer than the others." Guard one remarked scornfully.

"He'll break sooner or later." Guard two assured his friend. "The Pharaoh's new Vizier has a nasty temper." He chuckled. "Those crab claws of hers will rip the stubbornness right from him. If not," The Alligators lugged the half dead man into a room, "That barely beating heart is sure to be served on a platter."

 **(*)**

 **(Bentley POV)**

 _Along the way to get Murray, I suddenly ran into Inspector Fox apprehending a suspect. As per her style – recently more boorish – Inspector Fox apprehended the suspect with a swift shock and kick to the aye-chi-wah-wah spots. At first I was apprehensive to invite her along. Ever since Sly disappeared, she…hasn't been herself._ _Carmelita pounds her fist into a suspect's face, demanding they talk._ _She's became more violent than usual. Something I didn't think possible. But I couldn't blame her. She loved Sly just as much as he loved her. They parted without really apologizing. Although the message was clear in the end. And I think it hit Carmelita harder because she was the one who pushed him away. She couldn't see past the hurt; the lie she told herself._

 _Bentley approached Carmelita, pleading for her to listen and understand._ _In the end I told Carmelita I had received a clue about Sly's whereabouts._ _Carmelita's eyes widened. She dropped the suspect, cuffing him to a pipe._ _The roaring fire in her eyes, the burning blaze in her heart – all of it seemed to quell. I offered to invite her along. She was as much a part of the Cooper Gang as Alauna. Even though I hadn't told Carmelita Alauna would be joining us._

 _Carmelita didn't need to think for too long. She threw me into her car, tossed my wheelchair into her trunk, and we sped off for Murray. Who, surprisingly, was in Russia competing in their annual combat tournaments. How he went from Spain to Russia was beyond me. I try not to question things anymore. It was surprising because Murray has avoided Russia since the Clockwerk affair. It held nightmares. But he worked through those nightmares in the ring. He achieved the title "Heavy Fist Champion!" Ha-Ha. I didn't mean to interrupt his winning streak, but he needed to see this._

 _Murray stopped flashing his champion belt when he saw Bentley and Carmelita outside the ring. His yellow gloved hands pointed fervently to the IPad. Murray gaped in awe and complete elation. Murray picked up Carmelita and Bentley and threw them in the van. Carmelita called in a tow. Boy was she going to hate the bill._

 _During the drive, I explained to Carmelita and Murray that in order to get the full story, we would need to go to Egypt. Cairo to be more specific. The message came from a friend of ours who needed our help. That's when Carmelita grew suspicious. Thieves who have friends could only mean MORE THIEVES! Carmelita glares at Bentley intensely, demanding an answer. She grilled me for an hour before I caved. Alauna who sent me the message._

 _Carmelita reached her foot past the driver seat and smashed her foot onto the break. She smashed her face into Bentley's, growling animally. Her eyes barked like dogs. Bentley crazily waved his hands._ _I explained to Carmelita, she may not have liked it, but it was the only way we could use the time machine to find him. Alauna had, in her possession, a piece of rock derived from the time period Sly theoretically landed in. Carmelita eventually gave in and sat quietly in the back seat. __Carmelita's pouting glare burned the window. Murray opened the window, letting out the steam._ _Murray continued driving, and I got into contact with Alauna. A game plan needed to be established. Because the second we land in Cairo, I know for a fact things were going to get crazy._ _Carmelita leaned over his seat, watching heatedly with a deep growl in her throat._

 **(*)**

 **(Alauna POV)**

 _It was the middle of the night. A beautiful, crisp, fresh, night. After a long day of desert sun, poisonous snakes, and smelly older men, I was ready to collapse and sleep like the dead. Too bad I had a client who needed my assistance. Sighs somberly. No rest for the weary._

 _A rogue government agent trying to evade arrest who killed five men and women to keep hidden. 50,000 Egyptian Pounds for capturing him dead, 100,000 alive. And in England I would be sitting comfortably for a while._

 _I had just gotten out of the shower of a hotel I was staying in. Kempinski Nile Hotel, Cairo. Very lovely room and even lovelier people. Room service – the food and wine were to die for._

 _My hair always gets in the way, so I keep it in a ponytail. Unfortunately the bangs never stay put. So I just let them and a clump of locks hang out. I put on my black cargo pants and black boots. The legging of the boots was fortified by a type of rubber armor. Lightweight, flexible, and leaves a nasty mark after a blow. My red, studded, X-band holster reached snugly around my hips. My signature Pyro-volvers bounced on my thighs. I donned my sleeveless V-Neck tank top, and black bolero jacket. Coupled by my long black fingerless gloves. They too were fused with the same rubber armor. Slightly thinner so my grip on my swords and guns weren't hindered. The swords always came last. I don't know. I liked the dramatic feel of donning the last resort weapons. Technically the revolvers were the last resort...I-am-blathering. MOVING ON!_

 _I opened my – 17th floor – window, letting the cool night breeze wash over my skin. It woke me right up from the grip of fatigue. My feet perched to the window. I was ready to go. That's when I heard my computer beeping. A video chat was coming in. Opening the laptop, the username belonged to a Mean-Green-Genius-Machine. IT WAS BENTLEY! I answered the call, overjoyed to see Murray and Bentley waving into the camera._ _A tear came to her eye._ _As usual Murray was his cute, pink self. As for Bentley…he gained a little muscle since I last saw him._ _Her smile gave way to a malicious glare. She grit her teeth._ _I was BEYOND disappointed when I saw Carmelita fuming in the background. Not that I was surprised. She was just as involved in whatever mess Sly got into as I was. More so, actually. I waved as…'sincerely' as possible. She and I weren't each other's biggest fans._

 _Bentley got in the middle, reminding us that we had more important issues to deal with._

 **(*)**

" _I cannot believe I am being subjected to asking for help from this loco witch!_ " Carmelita hissed. Her rage fogged the camera.

"You're not being subjected to anything, hag!" Alauna barked, venom dripping from her British-Irish tongue. "And for the record I called the two gentlemen." She shooed her hand haughtily, "So why don't you go find another beau that you can lie to so you can get into his pants."

" _You…ROTTEN-_ " Carmelita clenched a vengeful fist.

Bentley placed his hands to Carmelita's face, " _ENOUGH!_ " He boomed, shoving her out of the way. " _Can we all please remember why we're even here?_ " He begged, glancing between Carmelita and Alauna. " _Sly Stuck in the Past? A message in the rocks of Egypt? Our need for a one way trip ticket?_ "

Alauna raised a hand, "Don't worry." She giggled. "I already have that arranged. All you need do is walk up to the Reservation Agent at the check-in counter." She explained. "Give your names and you'll be on your way."

" _Thanks Allie._ " Murray beamed. " _This is gonna be great!_ " He cheered. " _But what about the van?_ "

"It'll be brought along. Don't worry."

" _WOO-HOO!_ "

"Now while you lot are on the subject," Alauna leaned back in her chair, folding her arms and legs, "Perhaps you can explain to me how Sly is sending messages through aged stone walls."

" _Before we get to that,_ " Bentley started, showing Alauna the message she sent on his IPad, " _Where did you find this message at?_ "

Alauna hesitated answering. She struggled swallowing her fear. "An ancient torture chamber." She answered ominously. Murray, Bentley, and Carmelita felt knots tie themselves in their stomachs. Alauna's mouth dried, however she continued, "There was a spot in the wall of spectator's box. History says it remained blank. That it was never filled because the next criminal to be _interrogated_ escaped."

" _Yet it was filled in anyway?_ "

"Yes. The words literally wrote themselves out. As if an invisible man were etching them right in front of me. Then the wall broke."

" _Broke?_ " Murray questioned confusedly. " _Like…crumbled like a cookie broke? Or someone smashed it broke?_ "

"Someone smashed it broke."

" _COOL!_ "

"NOT COOL!" Bentley, Alauna, and Carmelita boomed. Murray cowered like a scolded puppy.

" _Murray,_ " Carmelita hissed, " _If Sly is sending messages from the past, that means someone in the torture chamber's past got him._ "

"And minor portions of history are being alerted!" Alauna finished. "Which…I am still confused as to how that is happening. What have you lot been up to the last year?"

"Allow me to explain." Bentley offered.

 **(*)**

 **(Alauna POV)**

 _Bentley explained to me, not letting a single detail slip, that a year ago, pages of the Thievius Raccoonus began to vanish before his eyes. Cooper history was being erased. So, using a time machine Bentley and his girl, Penelope, built, they journeyed back in time to save Sly's past and his future. Turns out the one ruining everything was the Art Mogul and thief, Cyril Le Paradox. I knew of this weasel. Plenty a philanthropist and benefactor wish to see him...skinned. Bentley told me about El Jefe, Grizz, Decibel, Toothpick, and his now ex-girlfriend Penelope helping the skunk. How they stole the Cooper Ancestors'' canes. The very symbol of Sly's family._

 _I felt sorry for Bentley about the whole Penelope thing. They were so cute together. And it was nice to see the turtle giddily in love. But when he told me of her escape, I could tell he wanted to know if I heard anything. Not much eludes me for long. Literally. My computer and other devices alert me to 'significant' happenings around the world. Sad to say I hadn't heard anything about Penelope. On the other hand - after Bentley showed me post cards - I mentioned I recalled seeing that mousy emblem. Where? That escaped me. But it would come back to me eventually. And trust me, I wanted to find that mouse and break her neck for breaking his heart. But, oh well, there was no trace of her. Like she too vanished into thin air._

 _After Sly defeated Le Paradox, he was trapped on his time traveling blimp. A blimp being used for evil. Sounds like an Arpeggio enthusiast. The time blimp was malfunctioning and Sly wasn't able to escape. The next thing anyone knew, Sly crashed into the river and vanished. Days, weeks, and months had gone by - soon becoming a little over a year - and there was no trace of him._

 _I was flabbergasted. They actually went back in time and didn't invite me. But also mortally wounded. Sly finally achieved the life he always dreamed of. The girl of his dreams in his arms at last. And once again someone swept in, trying to ruin him and steal everything he worked to the bone to obtain. I wish there was a way for me to help. I'd do anything to rescue Sly. Anything._

 _That's when Bentley told me they needed my help. Carmelita was athletic, but she wasn't as acrobatic or nimble as Sly and I are. They may need me to help rescue him, and whatever else they had to do to ensure we got him home safely. Of course I agreed – free of charge. Saving Sly, traveling back in time – who would pass that up? Now I get to see where Sly gets his…animal magnetism from. Admittedly, I've always wanted to meet Henrietta Cooper. Sure Rioichi, Galleth, and Tennessee would be pretty awe striking. But something about Henrietta drew me to her._

 _There was a catch. Bentley said his time machine needed an object from that particular era in order for it to work. That's when I mentioned the rocks I collected from the ruins. They still contained portions of the message. I wondered if that would help. Bentley said it would be perfect._

 **(*)**

" _Are you sure you translated this message correctly?_ " Bentley tested her. He wanted triple - no, QUADRUPLE - assurance of her confidence in her findings.

"Yes." She nodded firmly. "I'm also sure that it's Sly horrible handwriting." She giggled. "The only thing I'm unsure of is the middle portion." She admitted, pointing to middle of the message. " _Sly in Common?_ Why does that sound so familiar?"

" _Perhaps, just maybe,_ " Carmelita responded with her usual sassy sarcasm, " _Sly found someone he has a lot in common with! ANOTHER THIEF!_ "

"Which would explain why he ran from you a lot." Alauna snapped.

" _Excuse me?_ "

"You're excused. Murray, remove that hag." Carmelita began to cuss Alauna out in Spanish as Murray edged her back into the back seat. "Anyway, you have any ideas?"

" _Actually I do_." Bentley boasted proudly. Alauna smirked admiringly. How did she know he would have an idea? Bentley dug around in his backpack and produced the Thievius Raccoonus. Sly's family history and secrets. " _I think Sly was trying write…_ " He flipped the pages and stopped at an Egyptian Raccoon, " _Slytunkhamen Cooper II. That would place him at 1300 B.C."_

"Before Christ era?" Alauna gasped in awe. "Sly sure has the family resume."

" _That he does._ " Bentley chuckled.

"Alright." Alauna checked the time on her phone. 11:00pm. In Paris it would be 10:00 pm. "I have a job to tend to." She forewarned them. "You guys should land in Cairo by…3:00 in the morning on my end. I should be back before then." She winked confidently. "I'll send you my address, tell the doorman to let you up, and I'll stop by and pick up a ten course meal on the way back."

Alauna heard the van come to a screeching halt. Murray was gaping in heavenly bliss. " _BEST…FRIEND…EVER!_ " Murray bowed.

"Good night boys." Alauna hummed. "And try to get some sleep, Carmelita. Might help with those wrinkles around your eyes."

" _ESTUPIDO PUTA-_ "

Alauna closed her laptop before the angry Latino could finish. She shook her head, scoffing victoriously. "Honestly, how did he put up with that woman?"

 **(*)**

 **(Bentley POV)**

 _Just as Alauna predicted, we arrived to Cairo by three in the morning. Murray's Van caught some attention as it was loaded off the plane. No idea how it fit. Then there was the issue of Murray not driving on the correct side of the road, nearly hitting a man's pet camel, and a conga line of women and men heading for a lucrative party._

 _All in all…IT WAS A SAVING GRACE WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE HOTEL IN ONE PIECE! Bentley upside down in his seat, Carmelita with disheveled hair. Murray laughed nervously. That aside, we managed to find where Alauna was staying. The doorman was polite and happy to let us in. The Concierge gave us the key card, and the floor and room number._

 _To our surprise, Alauna was sitting on the bed waiting for us in the room. On the coffee table was a spread of every type of entrée, drink, and dessert Egypt had to offer. Next to her were two brief cases. Likely filled with cash. She made out nicely. I wondered how she got around customs with that much cash. More importantly,_ _Bentley glanced towards the window,_ _how on earth did she make it up to the 17th floor without anyone noticing? Guess I shouldn't be surprised. She and Sly could be brother and sister for all I know._

 **(*)**

"Glad you all made it fine." Alauna giggled. "Help yourself to the food." Murray wasted no time in going for the food. "Don't worry." Alauna instinctively reached under the bed and pulled out three bags of take out, and a few drinks. "I've got a backup plan." She knew better than to not plan ahead with food.

"Thanks, Allie." Bentley accepted his food graciously. Carmelita watched Alauna with disdainful suspicion as she snatched her food. Bentley cleared his throat nervously. "You seem to be doing well for yourself." He complimented.

Alauna batted her lashes flirtatiously, "You don't seem to be too bad either." Bentley hid half his blushing face behind a bowl of rice. "But yes. I'm taking good care of myself."

"Over charging for murder across the world pays all sorts of bills." Carmelita remarked heatedly, filing her mouth with Eish Masri.

"Jealousy is unbecoming." Alauna quickly retorted, sipping a cup of Egyptian coffee. "And the clients set the price. I just accept."

"Then you're a murder whore."

"Says the Interpol slut in the mini-skirt and low tube top." Alauna quickly bit into Aish Merahrah topped with Kushari. Carmelita flipped the carton box of Macaroni Béchamel. Nonchalantly and still eating her Aish Merahrah, Alauna drew her shoto and cut it in half. The contents spilled on Carmelita's skirt. "Temper, Inspector." Alauna cooed, smirking triumphantly to the fuming inspector. "Wouldn't want the wrinkles on your forehead to increase. What would Sly think?"

"Talk about Pot calling the kettle black!" Carmelita snarled. "Jealousy is unbecoming of you."

Alauna prodded her Maḥshi ḥamām with her fork, avoiding eye contact at all costs. "Why would I be jealous of the woman who lied to Sly for an entire YEAR," She shot her contemptuous eyes to the Inspector, "Then has the nerve to be angry with him?"

Murray stopped suddenly with a bowl of Molokheyyah tipping into his mouth. Bentley choked on his camel milk. Carmelita fell silent with an aghast expression plastered to her face. Her hand tightened to her cup of tea, coming close to breaking the cup. Alauna furrowed her brow, her magenta eyes boring into the Inspector. "Have I finally silenced the loud mouth?"

"Okay-HRMPH!" Bentley choked as he chugged his camel milk. "Okay!" He rasped. "We can duke it out below the belt later." Alauna leaned away, returned to her food. "Right now we need to focus on getting to Sly!"

"Oh yeah." Alauna jumped from the bed, rushing to her backpack. "I got those rocks." She showed Bentley the two chunks. The turtle couldn't help laughing at the childish pictures. "Hope those work."

"Oh they will." Bentley assured her. "And we will most likely get to him faster if we travel in the place these were found."

"I can take you there." Alauna volunteered. "The excavation team has cleared out to the HQ bunker for the night. We should be able to enter without incident."

"Perfect!" Bentley cheered.

"But do we have to go now?" Murray complained. "I'm just barely getting to my dessert."

"I'll drive while you eat." Alauna volunteered. "I haven't forgotten how to drive a stick shift." She assured him. "Besides. I know these roads better than all of you."

"I'LL TAKE IT!" Murray blurted. "And this, and this, and…this!" He stockpiled an immense amount of food. But no one complained. Murray was at his best when he was fed.

"Then saddle up, mates." Alauna smiled giddily. "We're going on a field trip!"

 **To be continued**


	4. Journey to the Past

**Journey**

 **to**

 **The past**

 **Continuing on**

 **(*)**

Torches flickered in a sandy stone carved corridor, dancing in the small breeze gliding over the dusty floors. Rats and cockroaches scurried back to their burrows. Bats hid themselves in the corners of the ceiling, screeching venomously at anyone who walked by.

A whip whistled and cracked the air. "GYAH!" Someone cried out in agony. The whip cracked again. "GAH-HA!" The shadow of a restrained man reflected on the wall. Splashes of fresh blood trailed the silhouette. A defeated man hung his head, panting dryly with his arms chained towards the ceiling. The whip whirled in the flickering shadows and then ripped a deep graze open in the man's back "AH! GRR…"

"The more you resist, my young friend," A thick accented woman's purr echoed in the corridor, "The more you will have to endure." She cracked the whip on his back, making the man roar out. Blood trickled down his near bare body.

 **(*)**

 **Bentley POV**

 _Gathering our equipment together, the four of us gathered into Murray's van and were off to the ruins. Alauna and I sat up front together. For the best. Alauna and Bentley grimace at Murray messily stuffing his face. Murray's messy eating would have damaged the modifications I've applied over the years. Carmelita ook the brunt of the hailing food. Alauna silently takes pleasure in her agony. Alauna and I talked about our latest discoveries in our own particular fields. How Alauna was reviewing her genealogy, how I was tinkering with my chair trying to give it upgrades – we were the stereotypical nerds' geeking out over things others found boring. Carmelita was stuck in the back with Murray. How unfortunate for her. Cake was spilling on her hair. Of course Alauna was enjoying herself. Though it was at the expense of another, it was nice to see Alauna laughing. She's always had an impish giggle. It was…cute._

 _Uh…BRR! Bentley shook his head fervently. There was no time for that. Sly was in danger, we were going to time travel, and I'm thinking about how cute…Ugh. What am I thinking? Why would someone like her truly like a guy like me? I can't afford to let this happen again. Unless I want a repeat of what happened with Penelope. Not that I think Alauna is like Penelope. I mean, let's be serious, Carmelita and Alauna were alike. God forbid they ever hear me say that. But Alauna like Penelope? Nah. Not even close. Alauna may be ruthless and relentless, but she's never turned her aggression on those she trusts. Penelope on the other hand bought into a world domination speech. I simply meant there were more guys in the world way more interesting than I am. Like…Sly and Murray. They were more Alauna's type. As for me, I was meant to be left in the wind. Alone…forgotten._

 _To distract myself, I called ahead to Dimitri, asking him if he arrived at the hideout. I told him we were taking another trip through the time stream and would need him to look after the Thievius Raccoonus. Again, it was much too dangerous to take with us._

 _As expected, Dimitri was there, and overjoyed he could..."Be the backup dancer for his bros timeline dance." Whatever that meant. I mentioned our old friend Alauna was acting as our guide. His eyes ran over her so much I almost saw foot prints take form. It was then Alauna reminded him that she allowed him to escape last time they met. Dimitri suddenly glued his face to a magazine of seasonal fashions._

 _We needed Dimitri so he could let us know if anything changed in the book. Of course we still have the old communicators we used. Dimitri said to bring back his "Raccoonus Dudus," so they might, "Boogie down until the Paris lights black out." I'm more than aware of what he meant. The minute we get Sly, we're going to party until time itself decides to stop. Let's just hope whoever has Sly isn't wise to time travel. I'm not really in the mood to deal with Time Pirates._

 **(*)**

The van bounced roughly across the soft sand of the Egyptian Desert, jerking everyone inside as if they were on a bad roller coaster.. Bursting through dunes, reducing them to dusty clouds trailing the van's wake. Murray's remaining desserts had splattered completely onto Carmelita. Bentley was bounced into Alauna's lap. He hugged her for dear life. His head honked the horn each time Alauna's chest smashed into him. To her relief the chamber was only yards away. Alauna had brought the van to a spiraling halt. The van tipped on one side, then plopped back down on all fours.

"Ugh…" The four groaned in relief. Alauna snickered weakly, feeling her head whirling. "Got us here." She announced mischievously.

"At the price of my dessert." Murray grumbled sickly, holding a hand to his stomach. "I think I lost it half a mile back."

"Sorry, Murray." Alauna giggled. "Try recovering it from Carmelita's hair." Carmelita had a regular sundae with a cherry on top crafted on her navy hue of hair. "I'm sure she'll be grateful." Murray considered the idea with deep contemplation. But the minute Carmelita shot him a dog like glare he backed off. Alauna chuckled, loving the Inspectors misery. "You okay, Brain?" She asked Bentley who was lurched on her lap.

"I'm fine." Bentley moaned sickly. Nauseated bubbles twinkled around his head. "Shaken up, but fine."

"Sorry about that." She scratched the side of her head. "Given what we discovered, we needed to get here fast."

"Agreed." Bentley pushed up, fixing his glasses. "And that…HRMPH…" He covered his mouth, "Was fast." Alauna grinned bashfully, hoping she hadn't traumatized the Brain in anyway. Bentley pulled himself up by the window sill. Looking out the moonlit valley of sand, he saw the half buried entrance to the chamber Alauna mentioned. "Is this it?"

"Yep." Alauna answered ominously. "One mile long straight hall, two rights and one left, we'll be there."

"Okay." Bentley shuffled into his seat and reached into Alauna's pack. Alauna was impressed by how well he could move given his disability. Then again, Bentley always was amazing. "Murray, put this into the machine." Bentley handed the two rocks to him. Murray placed them into the machine. "Alright," Bentley accessed his IPad, "Calibrate this, adjust that, fire up the auxiliary – PUNCH IT ALAUNA!" Murray and Carmelita froze in terror and hugged each other closely.

"Punch it?"

"HARD!" Alauna's foot slammed onto. The tires screeched, gusting up the sand in a heaping cloud. It slipped on the start, then launched like a blur straight inside the chamber, ricocheting off the stairs and walls. Alauna struggled to stay in her seat. The seatbelt felt as if it would rip. The van bumped and grinded on the narrow walls. Carmelita could have sworn the corridor was getting narrower. The time machine powered up with the increase of speed. The walls and hieroglyphics blurred by. The end of the hallway swiftly approached.

"Bentley…" Alauna trembled out in fright, pushing back in her seat. Murray ducked down, hiding under his hands. Her foot subconsciously lifted off the gas.

"Keep going!" Alauna's foot slammed back down. Bentley quickly input a code. The hands on the clock whirled rapidly backwards. Electricity surged around the van. The end of the hallway was getting closer.

"Bentley!" Murray whimpered. Alauna's foot quivered, ready to step on the break.

"Almost done!" Bentley hit enter. The year 1300 B.C wrote itself out on the screen. A rippling aura field cast itself around the front of the van like a ship coming into orbit. The wall was only yards away.

"BENTLEY!" Alauna cried squeezing her eyes closed. Carmelita covered her eyes.

"DONE!" Bentley pushed a red button. The van only a few feet from the wall, a vortex formed in reaction to the field around the van and it was swallowed up into the wall. The vortex closed, disappearing like water down a drain.

 **(*)**

"WHOOOAAAA!" Everyone screamed as the van was spiraling around the vortex. The vacuum of space and time shook them like a rattle on a snake. Alauna finally felt her dinner slash breakfast slithering up her stomach. Carmelita would have laughed, but her food was about to blow from her stomach as well.

A dark hole at the end of the vortex finally formed. The van shot out of the vortex, launching from the torture chamber's entrance and several stories into the air. Abnormally high. Bentley practically floated from his seat as they fell. Alauna slammed on the breaks, bringing the van to a bouncing halt. As a dust cloud cleared from around them, everyone sighed, thankful the ride stopped. Stomachs gargled loudly. Bentley and Alauna out the window, Murray in a paper bag, and Carmelita out the back doors - everyone hurled their lunch onto the sand.

"Now I see why I hate roller coasters." Carmelita grumbled.

"I'll never mix cake with spaghetti again!" Murray swore, raising a hand.

"Well…?" Bentley groaned dryly, "It was…just in the nick…HRMPH-BLAHHH…of time."

"Please tell me you don't make a habit of cutting things close." Alauna heaved dryly.

"You kidding?" Murray gargled. "He's become as devious as you since the last time you saw him."

"A genius who's devious?" Carmelita slumped out the window. "I'm going into retirement after this."

"Ugh. Faith and Begorrah." Alauna moaned. "Even I have to admit this is too much." She complained, holding a hand over her eyes. "When did it get so hot all of a sudden?" She peered to the sky through one eye. "Wait…it's the middle of the day?"

Bentley fixed his glasses, studying their current when and where location. "IT WORKED!" Bentley cheered, congratulating himself. "WE'RE IN EGYPT CIRCA 1300 B.C.!"

"We are?" Alauna questioned dubiously. She exited from the van, her boots splashing to the surprisingly hot sand. Her legs almost caved from the adrenaline rush of the trip. "Wow…" Alauna gaped in awe. Carmelita, Bentley, and Murray exited the van too, and were just as in awe as Alauna.

Before, they were in a vast desert where there was nothing for miles. A cool night massaging their green faces. Now they were in a deep – seemingly bottomless – gorge. Sheer rock walls all around them. In front of them was a narrow pathway, leading into what seemed to be branching off pathways.

"OH…MY…CUPCAKES!" Murray blurted. His jaw was dropped to something inside the gorge they were in. When the three turned around, utter disbelief fell on their heads.

Behind them was a massive building, touching either side of the gorge. It was built like the pyramids, only elongated. From the looks of things, it was built into the back of the gorge. A wide ramp of stairs, sectioned into three by statues of jackals, led to three different carved out archways. The second floor had a connecting rectangular balcony. Hangman nooses leered over the edge with flimsy planks outstretched beneath the rope. The third floor had a large round balcony. And judged from the broken railing, that's where emerged from upon entry.

Wails of pain and agony were heard moaning from the ancient building. Chills crawled up Bentley's skin. People may get hurt, but he's never heard them be tortured. "Hard to believe." Alauna scratched her head. "The excavation team and I were only in the chamber for a few hours," She studied the top floor, shaking her head in disbelief, "But we never discovered evidence of there being multiple floors."

"You mean…" Murray tapped his head, trying to contemplate what she said, "We entered and exited from the third floor?"

"Precisely."

"Whoa…"

"Don't look too surprised. Over 3,000 years of sandstorms blew over this place." She studied the gorge they were in. "And judging from the structure of the walls around us," And the rocks around the inner perimeter, "I'd wager this gorge pieced apart."

"Congratulations." Carmelita waved her hands sardonically. "You're a history major on top of a language geek."

"I'm a _master_ language geek, a _minor_ in history." She corrected scathingly. "Do not resent me because I'm educated."

"I'm educated!"

"Yes, your middle school diploma must be singing your praises."

Carmelita grabbed Alauna by the collar. "YOU KNOW WHAT, IRITISH (eye-rih-tish) BITCH?"

Alauna grabbed Carmelita by the collar as well. "NO, LATIN-RICAN WHORE! WHAT?!" Alauna and Carmelita touched foreheads, growling animally with lightning surging between their eyes.

"CAN YOU TWO NOT FIGHT FOR FIVE MINUTES?" Bentley roared.

"Uh, guys?" Murray pointed down the path entrance to the gorge. "I think I see someone coming." Carmelita and Alauna glanced to him with furrowed brows. Putting his hand to his forehead like a visor, Murray narrowed his eyes to the path. "Yep…definitely someone coming." Unable to see that far, he placed his binocucom to his eyes. Three horse drawn carriages driven by two Hyenas on each one were heading towards them. "And they have cages. Cages with people inside!"

"We need to hide! NOW!" Bentley panicked. Everyone shuffled into the van. Murray into the driver's seat. They were in 1300 B.C. A van with a clock on top isn't exactly discreet. Murray drove the van to the right side of the building, putting it as far back as possible. Carmelita readied her pistol. Alauna twirled a revolver. The two took point and stalked low to the front of the structure. Carmelita hid behind a statue below the slope of stairs Climbing onto the statue pedestal, she peered around. Alauna hid beside the ramp of the stairs, peering past the stairs.

The three carriages came to a halt at the foot of the stairs. Three gators emerged from one of the doors, meeting with the hyenas. Carmelita ducked down, keeping her head low. She psst through her teeth, gaining Alauna's attention. Carmelita tossed her a binocucom and ear com. Alauna put the com in her ear. " _Can you hear me, Allie?_ " Bentley whispered.

"Crystal." The gators walked down the stairs, smiling hungrily to the hyenas and their prisoners.

"We need to get to the third floor." Carmelita pressed, speaking to her ear com Bentley gave to her. "That's where the clues lie."

" _But it may not be where Sly is right this second!_ " Bentley stressed. They couldn't afford to be hasty. " _Right now we need to do some recon of this place!_ " Alauna and Carmelita didn't enjoy the thought of waiting, but Bentley was right. 3,000 years from now the third floor is empty and run down. Who knows what's up there right this second? " _Listen in on their conversation. Maybe we can learn something. Maybe get some photos._ "

"I'll take the pictures." Carmelita volunteered.

"I'll listen." Alauna concurred. She dropped to her stomach. Drowning out all sound, she shuffled through the coarse sand. The incoherent mutters of the guards went unbothered. They couldn't hear her. Good thing Bentley's ear coms amplify sound. Coming to a pedestal at the bottom of the stairs, Alauna decided that best for her to listen in.

Carmelita placed her binocucom her eyes, activating the camera.

" _Alright._ " Bentley whispered. " _Let's see what the ancients talked about._ "

"I take it you six had a smooth journey, First Lieutenant Heckles." The middle guard greeted with a deep gravelly tone. His voice made Alauna shiver. Carmelita's first picture was of the three gator guards. The waistbands of their loincloth skirts were different colors. Left had a green band with bronze leaflets. Right was Maroon with silver swirls. The middle was Brown with gold eyes.

"Very smooth, Captain Grunt." The Red band hyena cackled with an Igor like voice. Carmelita took quick shots of the hyenas. Five had black headbands with white triangle ribbons hanging down their foreheads. The sixth had a red headband with three upside down black triangles.

" _Intriguing._ " Bentley gaped. " _I've heard of this. The colors of the design determine rank and the band determines what category of authority they reside in._ "

"Found these three stealing bread from our beloved Pharaoh's convoy." Heckles pointed to the monkeys in the cages. Alauna fluttered a hand. Carmelita arched a brow to her. Alauna pointed to the cages. Carmelita nodded and snapped a few photos of the prisoners. I, II, and III were etched. Carmelita had a thought and glanced to the doorways. I, II, and III were also etched. "The Pharaoh personally requested they be hung." The lead hyena shuffled his hands together greedily, revealing his razor sharp teeth in a beastly grin. "And he also wishes to know how our Lady Vizier is doing with our ring-tailed rat guest." _RING TAILED RAT?_ Alauna and Carmelita gasped in their minds. Murray and Bentley, listening from the van, had tears gathering in their eyes.

"PAH!" The captain threw his head back laughing. "The poor fool is continuing to fight."

"Our Lady Vizier has been working him for hours." The green belt guard cackled.

"You guys are lucky. While we toil with the pharaoh, you get to enjoy the spectacle with the Lady Vizier."

"I guess that means these groups belong to two different Task Forces." Alauna confirmed.

"The Gators work here with the Lady Vizier, and the Hyenas for the Pharaoh." Carmelita agreed.

"HA! That pathetic little rat. He is pretty stubborn, I'll give him that." The maroon band gator remarked in amazement. "That whip reached bone and he still won't talk. I can see why her Ladyship is growing bored."

Carmelita held a hand to her chest. Her eyes widened in horror. Alauna shared her distress. But they couldn't blow their cover yet. "Well at least he's giving the important guests something to watch." Heckles cackled. "Is what I heard true? He wrote a message in the wall?"

"To our eternal tedium.." The Gator with the green belt sniggered. "Poor boy." He pat his hand to the hammer clipped to his side. "Though he was lucky. His head would have turned out like that wall had he not dodged." Alauna instinctively glanced back towards the van. She saw Bentley and Murray gaping in horror. All four thought the same thing. The prisoner the gators spoke of had to be Sly. There was no other explanation. They could have arrived hours, days, or months after Sly. "Good thing my foot has good reflexes. His ribs reacted nicely." Murray clenched his jaw and fists. Bentley rested a hand, keeping him seated. _At least we know how the wall broke._ Carmelita recalled Alauna mentioning the wall crumbled. Alauna lowered her head into the sand, falling into despair. Sly…for all they knew…was being tortured. Alauna may have received the message all of a few hours ago. But for all they knew…Sly could have been there for weeks and was waiting for them. It tore their hearts.

"Well we'll get these three off your hands." Captain Grunt offered. The hyenas unloaded the monkeys and threw them into the Gators' hands. "You should head back to the palace. Tell the Pharaoh the raccoon still won't talk."

"You got it, Captain Grunt." Heckles sniggered like a gremlin. "Do let me know when the whip cracks his bones."

"I'll send the falcons the moment it happens." The hyenas mounted their horses and took their leave. The gators dragged the monkeys into their respective doors, vanishing into the shadows.

" _Those…monsters!_ " Bentley fumed on the other end. " _Those beasts!_ "

"Bentley, keep your head!" Alauna blurted, massaging her forehead with grief. "Losing your composure now will only jeopardize Sly." To be a successful Bounty Hunter, Alauna needed to master containing her emotions. Falling prey to emotion during a job results in severe failure. Usually ending up in casualties. Her grandfather taught her ' _Keep a cap on your head lest your wits leave you.'_ Alauna had no place telling another to keep his cool. But it needed to be said.

" _You're right. You're right._ " Bentley inhaled and exhaled meditatively. " _Okay._ " Alauna and Carmelita heard him clap his hands to his cheeks, snapping himself out of his funk. " _I did a little background research during the conversation._ " He explained, breathing heavily. " _The colored bands on the hyenas and gators do symbolize their affiliations and ranks. The Hyenas have red, and black bands with triangular ribbons. Black bands with White triangles are the lackeys, and red bands with black are the leaders._ "

"What about the gators?"

" _Green bands are the lowest of the guard, Maroon middle, and Brown is the highest. The designs indicate they are the leaders._ "

"That's all well and good," Carmelita interrupted, "But how exactly does that help us find the Ring-Tail?"

" _One of the Gators mentioned Sly was entertaining the Important Guests. Know anything about that Alauna?_ "

"It has to be the room I found the message in." She and Carmelita looked to the third floor. "The room was wide, had a view of every last torture device – it had to be the spectator's box for the nobles."

" _And from the sounds of things, Sly might still be giving them a show._ " Murray remarked.

" _Look ladies,_ " Bentley began firsthand, " _There's no time for a complicated plan. Especially since we haven't had a chance to gather Intel on this place._ " In other words, Bentley was about to send them in blind. " _You both are the most athletic. Get to the third floor, and find Sly._ " Carmelita and Alauna exchanged hateful glares. The last thing either one wanted to do was team up with each other. " _I know you both have bitter feelings for one another!_ " Bentley interjected as if reading their minds. " _But try to remember that we're here for Sly. Someone you both care about deeply._ " Alauna and Carmelita lowered their gazes somberly. They couldn't deny that they both had some feelings for Sly. " _No fighting – with each other or the guards. We can't let anyone know someone's lurking. Now hurry!_ "

Alauna and Carmelita peered over the stairs, listening and watching to ensure the coast was clear. They couldn't walk in through the front doors. Alauna never got a chance to study the structure before departure. She has no idea where the other floors lead or how big they were. Carmelita pointed to a ledge just beside the second story balcony. Alauna nodded. Carmelita climbed to the platform, scurrying quietly and positioning herself. She interlaced her fingers. Alauna ran up, placed a foot to the hands. Carmelita launched her up. Alauna reached out and grabbed the ledge with one hand. She grabbed on with the other and started to pull herself up. Her ears flapped.

"Hm?" Alauna got to her elbows and listened in, adjusting her ears. There was a narrow rectangular window in front of her. There were odd echoes coming from it. To her horror she heard pattering footsteps coming right towards her. Alauna scrambled to the ledge, placing her back to the crook of a tiny wall in the ledge. She fluttered a hand to Carmelita, telling her to take cover. Carmelita ducked behind the building. Alauna stood on the ledge, making herself as invisible as possible.

The footsteps she heard were quickly approaching. Rhythmic when they touched the ground. Like pikes piercing the dirt in twos. One-two, one-two, one-two, one-two. Those footsteps came to a halt. Alauna, moving as slowly as possible, turned to peer around the corner. She couldn't see much of the person. They were standing in the doorway. But Alauna could see pinch claws in white gloves.

"That blasted Cooper!" Alauna was surprised. It was a female voice. _Could this be the Lady Vizier?_ "Why must they all be so stubborn?" Alauna was baffled by the accent. _Romanian? Bulgarian? Czech?_ She couldn't tell. All she knew was it didn't belong in Egypt. "I have worked this man for days and he still won't talk! OOH!" She stomped a foot. Still sounded more like a pike hitting the ground. "This is more annoying than Prague!" _Prague?_ _Did Prague even exist in 1300 B.C._ "I better get some answers soon, or the Cooper Line will end with him…and so will my career." Alauna heard the footsteps retreat back into the halls of the second floor. She tried to get a peek of the woman. She vanished into a hallway before she could get a view.

"That was weird." Alauna whispered.

"What is?" Alauna whipped around. Somehow, Carmelita was standing right behind her.

"One second." Alauna touched her ear com. "Bentley, did you guys ever go to Prague?"

" _Once. Like...four years ago. Why?_ "

"I think I just overheard the Lady Vizier venting to herself. She mentioned Sly and Prague." Carmelita's eyes widened.

" _That's strange. Did you get a good look at her?_ "

"No. She disappeared."

"I'll go scope her out." Carmelita volunteered suddenly. "It may be our only lead as to why Sly is even here being tortured."

" _Though her plan begs hazardous, Carmelita's right._ " Bentley agreed. Alauna silently agreed. " _See who the Lady Vizier is. Stay out of sight._ "

"Right." Carmelita climbed around Alauna, touching down to the balcony as lightly as she could.

"Oye." Alauna beckoned her quietly. "Sly's going to want to see you. So make sure not to get caught."

"Why, Alauna, I didn't know you cared." Carmelita pretended to be flattered.

"I don't." Alauna climbed to the balcony and then onto the statue of a cat. "I just don't want to have to explain to Sly why you weren't here for him. Despite my being confused why you even came." Carmelita bit her lip, feeling the sting of her words. Taking the high road, she entered into the large room, disappearing down the same hallway as the Lady Vizier. Alauna scoffed through gritted teeth, then proceeded to climb on the archway. She managed to reach the third floor balcony. She poked her head over the ledge, scanning for guards. She slithered onto the balcony, skulking like a jungle cat after its prey.

There were two rows of five chairs on the balcony. Something Alauna didn't see before their journey. Much changes in 3,000 years. Alauna poked her head into the elongated hallway. It was much wider than she expected, and more lavish. There was more to it. Adjoining halls leading to different rooms. Most likely cells for the prestigious prisoners. Alauna could hear voice coming from each of the rooms. All of them laughing and chortling over minor moans of pain. Potted plants, fresh hieroglyphics, no cobwebs or rodents – as far as she could tell. There were large square holes in the wall. Scimitars, axes, and helmets were hung in those holes like trophies.

None of this helped Alauna. Walking down the hall would be too risky. Especially since she stood out worse than wolf in a flock of sheep. Up above there were balance and support beams. One of the beams descending diagonally onto the archway of the door she had entered from. Alauna smiled triumphantly. When in doubt, keep to the ceiling. Springing off the wall she grabbed onto the beam. She shuffled along, coming to where she was able to pull herself up without hitting her head or getting squashed.

"Hmph. This is higher than it looks." Alauna shuffled swiftly yet silently along the beam. To her displeasure there were cobwebs. She spoke too soon before. But at least she was able to get through the hall without feeling as if she was about to be spotted. As she sauntered along, Alauna heard the grinding of cranks and chain, the blood curdling wails of the unfortunate prisoners. People move in and out of the rooms, talking amongst themselves as if they had just watched someone catch a fish. A few laughed like maniacs. The lifeless bodies of innocent people we dragged out, tossed into one room at the end of the hall. Alauna could see countless bodies piled inside. It took all of Alauna's willpower not to express her disgust out loud. She was there for Sly. Not to play Moses.

"Bentley," Alauna swallowed contemptuously, "I'm not going to lie. I envy Carmelita right now." She rounded a corner, recognizing a few of the symbols. "The third floor is awful. A cesspool for the rich and cruel."

" _I beg to differ._ " Carmelita grumbled. " _I got the floor where the fat and ugly men make love to the skinny and horny women._ " She shuddered over the ear com. " _Smells like sweating pigs._ "

"Ooh…" Alauna shuddered. "I rescind my comment."

" _Let's keep the chatter under wraps._ " Bentley urged. " _From the sounds of things, there's loads of people._ "

"Roger that." Alauna ended the call. She turned down the right corridor, heading for where she received the message.

"I cannot believe that filthy raccoon isn't up for show today." Alauna froze and looked down. A female cat woman were jeering to a dog man. "He stole my life savings. I cannot have my salad imported because of him."

"I know what you mean." The dog man grumbled. "My daughter is upset I wasn't able to get her the golden carriage."

"I'm glad they threw him in the northernmost cells. Let him rot in the dark."

"Northernmost Cell, huh?" Alauna tugged at her clothing and eyed the beams she was on. "These beams aren't going to work. Neither are these rags." Alauna looked into her binocucom, ascertaining the general direction. North was the wall adjacent to the hallway she just entered from. "Sorry Bentley." Alauna watched a young woman pass by under her. Seemed to be same height and body build. "I need a change of clothes."

The woman turned into a random room, closing the door behind her. Alauna dropped down and entered immediately after her. There was a moment of silence. _BAM! BOOM! SLAM!_ The door opened again. Alauna emerged in her newly acquired attire, her clothing and weapons in hand. A long flowing skirt parting in the front for the leggings. The cerulean blue waistband with a long hexagon ribbon hanging down the front. The crop top hung off her shoulders with a red jewel embedded in the center of the breasts. A cobra headdress. Thick golden clasp wrist bands and a necklace. "Ugh. Thank god this is temporary." Alauna moved to the window. She saw the van just below and tossed her stuff out. They landed perfectly on top, startling Murray and Bentley. Alauna wanted to laugh about it, but she needed to move.

As Alauna walked through the corridor, she felt an uneasy pressure building on her shoulders. Sure people passed by her without turning a head, a few men bowed their heads, and a couple of the guards eyed her like a piece of meat. But the idea of being under cover in ancient Egypt – the land where Samurai Swords and heavy semi-automatic firearms had yet to exist – Alauna felt exposed. Vulnerable. And in her get up she felt restrained. But she kept telling herself it was for Sly. She needed to make this work.

"Pardon me." She tapped a Gator guard on the shoulder. The gator shifted his gaze from his friend to her. Both dropped their jaws and ogled her hungrily. "I'm sorry to bother you." Alauna, her hands folded behind her back, rocked her hips side to side, teasing the guards. "Could I trouble you both for a little help?"

"No trouble at all, My Lady." Guard 1 bowed with a sweep of his hand. "How may we be of service?"

Alauna looked around with feigned caution, prompting the two guards to do the same. She motioned her hand, wishing for them to come closer. "I heard rumors of a certain raccoon thief being imprisoned here. Is this true?"

"As the sky is blue." Guard 2 responded in a whisper. "Why the interest?"

"Well you see…" Alauna batted her eyes like a puppy, "He was the one who stole my most sacred of treasures. Family heirlooms." She touched a hand to her cheek, sighing with despair. "I was hoping to get in a few words with the man he stole my ruby headdress. But I heard he's not seeing the dungeon master today." Alauna instantly moved close to the one guard, pressing her body entirely against his. Her hands to his chest, her knee bent between his legs, her chest teasing his stomach. "But I'm sure someone in your position can help me." She tugged at his brown band.

The Gator swallowed nervously, his cheeks flushing. "I-I-I don't…know…" His voice croaked. "I mean…I-I-I could, but-"

"Please…" Alauna hugged his arm, pressing her breasts to his arm. "I just want to see him for a few minutes." She pouted her lower lip, circling a finger on his chest.

"Well…" The gator started to give.

"For the record…" She purred huskily, walking her fingers up his chest, "I-would-be…" She trailed off, touching a hand to the side of his face, "Eternally grateful." She bent his snout down. "In every sense." Her lips lightly pecked his nose. Steam whistled form the gator guards ears. He laughed drunkenly with hearts circling his head. His friend stood behind him, clapping. "I trust we have a deal." She batted her eyes.

 **(*)**

Bentley hid his embarrassment under his hat. His green cheeks were cherry red. _How can she be so confident?_ He moaned in his mind. He listened to her giggle giddily. "Grr…" He massaged his forehead in irritation.

Murray packed Alauna's things into the back of the van, taking care not to look at any of her undergarments in the process. On the other hand he did take time to admire her revolvers. They were shiny, glossy, well kept. "Ooh…"

"I guess things…" Bentley grumbled, drumming his fingers on his arm, "Must be more active on the third floor than the second."

"I guess." Murray put Alauna's holster down. "They must have if Alauna's walking around naked."

Bentley's cheeks flushed bright red. Steam whistled from his ears. His mind wandered into the land of no return. He choked on the air. "NO! NOT NAKED!" He boomed, startling Murray. "She's wearing a disguise!"

"Oh." Murray fiddled his fingers nervously, darting his eyes around uncomfortably. "Right." He shrugged his hands with an impish grin. "My bad."

Bentley turned back to his IPad, keeping watch over the red blips moving through the compound. With each hall, door, and closet Carmelita and Alauna passed by, a general description of the compound was drawn out on the IPad. Alauna was moving smoothly. But Carmelita was stopping, zigzagging, moving all over the map.

"One of the revolvers and the small blade are missing." Murray announced with relief. "At least she's not weaponless."

"That's Allie, for ya." Bentley scoffed humorously. "Always prepared." He tapped his chin, worried he hadn't heard anything from Carmelita or Alauna in some odd minutes. "I wonder what's happening."

 **(*)**

The second floor was shadowed and dimmed of the light. Unlike the third floor there were little to no people wandering the halls. They were hiding in the rooms. Wealthy men with concubines, women seducing men. The past and future hadn't changed much. Money still bought pleasure.

There were Honey Badgers blow horns clipped to their hips. One toot and anyone who wasn't allowed on that floor would be swarmed before they could blink. The claws on their paws were long, razor sharp. They gleamed in the torch light. Their beady red eyes glowered through the dim lighting.

Carmelita hid in the shadows of the walls, seeking cover behind pillars and statues. She watched the guards pass by her, chattering heatedly to themselves. Carmelita moved throughout the corridors, keeping her back close to the walls. There were heavy duty cell blocks, thick wood doors standing between her and the prisoners inside. Carmelita peered through the rectangular holes in the wooden doors. Prisoners were restrained tightly to the walls, emaciated and dehydrated. She looked into the cells, trying desperately to see if Sly could have been moved into one of them. No luck. The Badgers would enter a room or corridor and Carmelita would take a leap and progress forward. She would peer around the corner, scouting ahead. The path was clear. She was so far inside she honestly believed the walls were watching her.

"Hm?" Carmelita tensed in the corner she hid in. She narrowed her eyes to the wall of a connecting hallway. The shadow of a woman was seen disappearing into the darkness. It had to have been the Lady Vizier Alauna thought she heard. Carmelita skulked after the woman, keeping close to the wall. She pressed her back to the corner and looked around.

There at the end of the hallway, a heavily enforced door had barely closed. It was cracked open a ways, letting the light of the outside gleam into the hallway. Carmelita tiptoed quietly. Her shock pistol held downward, Carmelita kept her eyes and ears open. Watching, listening, sensing the slightest shift in the air. She positioned herself on the door, glaring into the crack. She could barely make out anything, but there was a large window which gazed out to the gorge. Judging from the table stacked with papers, and the smells of incense, the Lady Vizier had been living there for a while.

"Where is she?" Carmelita asked herself, trying her best to see into the room without giving herself away. If she could find out where the Lady Vizier was standing, Carmelita might have been able to sneak in undetected. Carmelita placed a hand to the door, opening it slightly. There was a small creak. She winced.

A blood red eye greeted her. "HELLO THERE!" A claw hand grabbed Carmelita by the wrist and yanked her inside. The door slammed behind her. Carmelita's gun was discarded off to the side near the window. Her one hand pinned above her head and a claw clamped to her neck, Carmelita was pinned to the wall, hoisted several feet from the ground. Carmelita clawed fervently, growling like an animal to get free. Her legs kicked and thrashed at the air. No luck. "Still one to fight futilely, My Dear Inspector Carmelita." Carmelita's eyes widened at the sickening purr in which the accent said her name. "Then again you never were one to accept your captures or defeats with decorum."

"You…" Carmelita's voice trembled. "Contessa…" The name fell from her mouth like a guillotine to her neck. Her heart sank in horrific disbelief. The renowned former hypno therapist of Interpol, and member of the defeated Klaww Gang, Countess Contessa, stood before Carmelita. Once again Contessa had Carmelita at her mercy.

"It's good to see you again, Inspector Carmelita." Contessa sniggered maliciously. "You're looking well. A lot better than Constable Neyla."

"You can't be here." Carmelita panicked. "You're in prison!"

"WAS in prison, my dear." The woman corrected with her thick accent. "I was released for good behavior." Contessa grinned wolfishly, revealing her fangs. "Amazing how helping a few inmates make decent life choices gets you released early."

"You couldn't have been!" Carmelita denied adamantly. "You were to be locked away for life!" The fear rang in her voice. "YOU'RE NOT HERE!" She closed her eyes. "YOU'RE NOT!"

"But I am here, Carmelita." The claw tightened to her neck, earning a pained grunt from Carmelita. "The proof is on your neck." She tightened her grip. Carmelita hissed through gritted teeth. The pressure built in her head as the oxygen was slowly cut off. Contessa narrowed her eyes, burning for revenge. "And I fully intend to stay here."

 **(*)**

Alauna was guided to the farthest quadrant of the…prison, torture compound – Torture Prison. The sense of isolation grew unbearably. Unlike the rest of the compound, no light reached beyond a sectional door. When it opened, the bright sunlight revealed everything. A damp, rotten smelling, rodent infested corridor. Alauna suddenly felt health conscious and wanted to run out. The minute it closed the light was severed, and Alauna was in for the long haul. She breathed heavily, trying to calm herself. No weapons – at least for now. But the second those guards do something she didn't like...Bentley would be lecturing her about following the plan.

The two Gator guards ignited candlesticks. The orange flames surprisingly lit up the corridor, easing Alauna's rising fear of the closed space, but not of the fear of touching anything. One behind her and one in front, the guards guided Alauna down the hall, keeping their candles raised so not to hit anything along the way.

"Northernmost. It's no joke." Alauna commented with a shudder.

"Only the worst criminals get sent back here." Guard 2 cackled, gesturing a hand to one of the wooden doors. "No light, no fresh air, little water and food-"

"In most cases none for a day or two." Guard 1 quickly added.

Guard 2 chuckled, commending his partner. "It wears them down." He elbowed Alauna in the back. "The whip doesn't hurt either." Alauna lowered her head, folding her ears. She clenched her fingers closed, piercing her nails into her skin. They were starving Sly, breaking him like a cheap doll. She's absent for a year or two and this happens. If it was the last thing she did, everyone in that compound will be at the end of her revolver, begging for their lives.

Alauna's pupil narrowed to a tight slit, _I'll gut every last one of you, lads._

"Here we are." Guard 1 placed a hand to the wall next to a cell door. "We'll stand with you-"

"If he's emaciated and restrained, I will not require guards." Alauna interrupted strongly. "I wish for ten minutes alone with this man. You both will stand at the end of the hall."

"My Lady-"

"Do this and I will ensure you both are handsomely rewarded." Alauna ran a hand down her tail, stroking it to the nose of the first guard. "Anything you can ask for." She teased, tickling his chin with her tail tip. The guard laughed drunkenly.

The guards opened the door. The second guard gave Alauna his candle light. They told her she had ten minutes. If she finishes early she was to knock. Alauna entered the room and clichéd when the door closed. Were it not for the candle, she be in pitch blackness. Alauna raised the candle to the cell. Filled with mold and cobwebs. Bentley would start hyperventilating.

"Ugh…" Alauna whipped around. There was some sort of moisture on the ground. By the mildew smell it was water. "Ugh…" Alauna moved the candle to the far corner. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Hanging limply with his arms spread eagle in shackles, deep rips in his back, a bloodied long sleeve turtle neck torn to rags, blood staining the gray fur, his knees and legs missing patches of fur and with deep scar was a raccoon who brought tears to Alauna's eyes.

"Sly!" She gasped in whisper, sorrow in her voice. Alauna placed the candle to the ground, and got to her knees. "Sly?" She called to him, hovering her hands around him. Sly moaned weakly again. Alauna beamed in elation. He was alive. Barely. "Sly." She smiled, putting her hands to his face. "It's me, Alauna. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He grunted.

Alauna was taken aback. Sly's voice sounded…off. It was…higher. Hint of an accent. She tilted his head up, putting it into the light. She gaped in shock. Sly's face…wasn't his. He had thick beard on his chin. Remnants of the ribbon that held it together were stuck in it. A golden neck brace was chipped and stained. There was a lighter hue on his cheeks coming from his mask. "You're not Sly." Alauna remarked in disbelief. heartbroken disbelief.

"Hmph." The raccoon scoffed. "You're not the first person…to realize this." He heaved dryly, his voice rasping in an exhausted whisper. "I am…Slytunkhamen." He announced. "Slytunkhamen Cooper II." Alauna backed away by an inch. "Sorry to disappoint you."

 **To be continued.**


	5. A Quick Getaway

**A**

 **Quick**

 **Getaway**

 **Last chapter before I call it a break for a week or so.**

 **(*-*)**

An hour must have passed since Bentley and Murray last heard from either Carmelita or Alauna. The two were starting to grow worried. And sweaty. It had to have been 90, close to 100, degrees outside. No breeze made it to the deep chasm. Only by stroke of luck was, maybe, a brief puff of cool air. Unfortunately since gasoline and motor vehicles wasn't invented weren't until the late 1700's, they had to preserve what fuel they had. To break down minerals and create their own fuel would require resources that they did not possess. At the moment, anyway. And, given their previous experiences, a quick getaway may be in order. Maybe, when Bentley had the time, he'd utilize the land to fit his needs.

About an hour ago, Alauna donned a disguise and was being taken to the inner dungeons of the compound by guards. She even took her short blade and one of the revolvers with her. So she wasn't going in defenseless. Not that Bentley thought she needed weapons. But even she would have to admit the challenge of taking on a hoard of guards without a means of countering other weapons. Carmelita, on the other hand, was following a familiar figure into a random place in the compound. As usual she went in with her shock pistol drawn. Murray was unable to recall a time she ever really holstered it...for longer than three seconds. Too bad for guards.

Nevertheless, to say Murray and Bentley were rankled with worry about was an understatement.

"Should we go in after them?" Murray asked.

"No. Not yet." Bentley decided, tapping his chin pensively.

"But…" Murray displayed a guard's garb to Bentley, "I have my costume ready."

"Just give them 10 more minutes." Bentley requested gently. "Remember, this infiltration idea was a plan on the fly. To simply dive in - again - without a plan would be suicide. Especially since we're outsiders. We don't know what surprises this place has." No hints of technology were detected as fiercely as their last venture. They'd literally be going in blind.

"I guess you're right." Murray mumbled, packing away his costume. "But if we do end up having to go in, you do have a map we can use, right?"

"Yeah." Bentley grabbed his IPad and displayed the routes Alauna and Carmelita have taken. "No worries. We won't get lost. Hmm…" He hummed. "That's strange."

"What is?" Murray leaned over to the passenger seat.

Bentley put a finger to the screen. A red blip was – from what Bentley was able to determine – in the northwestern most room of the second floor. "Carmelita." He muttered. "She's been idle for several minutes."

"Gee. I hope nothing's wrong."

 **(*-*)**

Feet thrashing about in a desperate yet futile attempt to reach the ground only inches below them…A throat clenching and cracking under the unbearable pressure…gasping heaves of breath rasping as lungs were denied oxygen… hands clawing into the arm of the assailants hand to force them to let go.

The Contessa, one of Interpol's most wanted – and formerly respected – criminal geniuses, cackled menacingly as she watched Carmelita struggle to keep what little bit of consciousness she still had. The claw steadily grew unbearably tighter around Carmelita's neck. The pressure built in her head. It felt like a balloon ready to pop. Her vision blurred drastically. Yet she still kept fighting. The Contessa had to drop her at some point. Hopefully soon. Her ears were starting to ring.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this day, Inspector Carmelita." Contessa purred huskily. Carmelita gritted her teeth, growling hoarsely. "The day that I would be able to rend your pretty little body into tiny pieces!" Pulling Carmelita from the wall, Contessa tossed her aside. Carmelita's back smashed into the wall with a painfully loud thud. She collapsed to the floor. Not even the soft silk pillows could soften her descent.

"Ugh…GAH…HA…" She panted. Her chest puffed in and out rapidly. A pleasing chill filled her lungs as her breath returned. "How…are…you…here?" She wheezed.

"Come now, Inspector Carmelita," Contessa let her name fall from her tongue, savoring the pitiful state the agent was in, "After all the time traveling you've done," She knelt down on one knee, "Do you truly need to ask?"

Carmelita's gasped in horror. "How do you know about that? Who told you?" She choked on her own air. She blurted too much too soon.

"Have you truly forgotten?" Contessa rough grasped Carmelita's jaw, "Nothing goes on in the world that I do not hear of. Hearing of a Time Machine? Too tempting to pass up without investigation."

"Who…brought you…here?" She paced herself carefully. "Did you break Cyril Le Paradox out? Is that weasel here?"

"I'm afraid that secret stays with me." Contessa teased. "All I can – or rather _will_ – tell you is," The Contessa placed a claw under Carmelita's chin, tilted her head up with a sharp jerk, " _He_ will savor watching your precious raccoon fall to pieces." Carmelita clenched her teeth. Her growls were dry huffs. Just a few feet to her right was the shock pistol. Hope rose within her. Just one shot and she could make an escape. If she could just reach it…

The Contessa stomped her foot into the hand. The pike end pierced the glove and skin. Blood trickle out like a faucet. Carmelita cried out in agony. She pulled and tugged frantically at her hand. Contessa lashed out with another one of her feet, striking Carmelita in the head. The world became blurry again. The Spiderwoman shuffled back then lashed out with a swift kick into Carmelita's ribs. A sharp, searing pain spiked throughout her entire abdomen. Contessa launched yet another kick, smashing Carmelita into the wall again. Her head and back smashed into the stone, robbing her of her breath and half of her consciousness.

"How I will relish in tearing your hide apart for the humiliation you put me through!" Contessa snarled venomously. "You and that blasted Cooper gang will perish slowly, painfully, and I will make you all watch!"

Carmelita struggled waveringly to sit on her behind. Her arms trembled as the weakened muscles fought to push her up from the floor. The slightest twitch made her, likely, bruised ribs twinge in a sharp pain. "I see…" Carmelita's voice rasped dryly, "You're…still steaming." She coughed up tiny specks of blood.

"Steaming is a kind term!" The Contessa hissed venomously. "It is more of an overwhelming rage which has boiled past its breaking point." She snapped her claws threateningly. "What better therapy for such a rage than to take it out on its cause?" Fangs showed from beyond her sinister grin. The perpetual red glow in her eyes illuminated ominously. "As a certified therapist, I am qualified to make that assessment."

"Yeah?" Carmelita spat defiantly. "Well…" She put her hands to the wall, "I welcome you…to try!" She climbed to her feet, balancing on wall. Her knees quaked. The strength slowly but surely returned to them as she rose to her feet. "But you better be ready! I have no intention of going down easily." Tough words but she lacked the full strength to back it up. Her head felt lighter than a helium filled balloon. Then there were her ribs. Those were definitely a hindrance.

"Ah yes…" Contessa chortled derisively, "How could I forget? You're a fighter." Contessa chortled, creating a small gap between her and Carmelita. "And like all fighters, you would rather die on your feet than on your knees." Her tongue ran lovingly over her lips. "Fortunately enough that blasted Cooper shares that very idealism." Carmelita gaped in dismay at Sly's name. Her heart nearly pieced away at the mentioning of Sly. "All the more fun for me."

Before she and Alauna infiltrated the compound, Carmelita and the others overheard a few guards talking about a raccoon that was undergoing the harshest of tortures. The pure enjoyment in their voices was similar to that of a spectator watching a car crash during a NASCAR race. It chilled Carmelita to wonder what other horrors Sly has been forced to endure while she, Bentley, and Murray twiddled their thumbs in their despair _._

"Looks like his resistance won't be in vain." Carmelita stated confidently. She bore her glare into The Contessa, impaling the Klaww Gang member with her dagger glistened orbs. "Because I fully intend to break Sly out of here!"

The Contessa was taken aback by her statement. "Sly?" She arched a confused brow, gawking at the beaten down fox woman. "That blasted raccoon is actually here?" She barked.

Now it was Carmelita's turn to be confused. "Uh, yeah!" She stressed, not finding her ignorance amusing. "Of course he's here! I overheard the guards talking! They said Sly was here!"

The Contessa folded her arms and turned her head away in a deeper bewilderment. "I heard nothing of this…" She muttered quietly. Carmelita started to lose confidence in her proclamation. "What could you-" The Contessa's eyes widened when she realized what Carmelita meant. An air of stupidity hovered over Carmelita. She just said something she shouldn't have. _"_ OH! I SEE!" She threw her head back in hearty laughter. Carmelita backed away, unnerved by the laughter. "SO YOU HAVEN'T FOUND HIM YET!" She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "AND HERE I THOUGHT HE WAS LEADING THIS LITTLE RAID!" The Contessa couldn't stop the howling laughter. Her nerves were so rankled for nothing that she had to laugh at herself.

"W-what are you talking about?" Carmelita wavered. "Of course I found Sly! Here's here in this compound!"

The Contessa stretched a hand outward, erecting her claw up in a commanding fashion. "First of all, STOP trying to sound righteous!" She spat with disgust. She had forgotten how much Carmelita valued 90 percent of credit in anything she did. "I know full well you came with that blasted Cooper Gang! No doubt the Hippo and Turtle are close by!" Carmelita swallowed nervously, but took some relief in The Contessa's ignorance of Alauna. At least she could serve as their element of surprise. "As for your precious Cooper," She grinned boastfully, "You have been misinformed, my dear inspector."

"What do you mean?" Carmelita's voice cracked.

"In other words, the Cooper we have is not the one you seek."

Carmelita's eyes flared wide open. "Wait…does that mean…" Her heart dropped into her stomach, "SLY'S NOT HERE?"

"He never was."

 **(*-*)**

Despite seeing him standing there – technically on his knees – before her, Alauna was unable to believe what she was looking at. Dressed in Sly's _torn to shambles_ clothing, Slytunkhamen was shackled to the darkened walls of the compound's innermost dungeon. One where no light ever touched the walls. The candle Alauna had barely illuminated the somewhat small space enough for her to see the mossy ground, let alone Slytunkahmen's face. Though…part of her wished she didn't see his face.

Alauna should be happy Slytunkhamen got a chance to see a friendlier face than those who have been torturing him. In fact, she should be overjoyed she could at least stage a rescue for a Cooper in general. But she couldn't quell the overwhelming sadness ebbing in her heart. After a being absent for practically a year, Alauna was looking forward to seeing Sly's goofy face after all that time.

"You know…" Slytunkhamen rumbled drearily; a weak smile on his lips, "If you keep looking at me like that, I'll start to feel guilty."

"R-RIGHT!" Alauna cleared her throat bashfully, "P-please forgive me, sir." She smacked a hand to her forehead. What was she acting so flustered for?

Slytunkhamen chuckled at her pink cheeks, making her blush redden. "Polite, bashful, and charming. The angels have blessed me in my final hours."

Alauna's entire face was heating up. Oh how she hated this. Actually she liked it. Well, no, she was flattered. But it wasn't good. "GRR!" She hated that she was flattered. Slytunkhamen reduced her to a idiotic schoolgirl fussing over the pigheaded rich boy. "Can you excuse me a moment?" She rasped.

"By all means." Slytunkhamen batted his eyes.

"Thank you." Alauna left the candle with Slytunkhamen. She figured he'd like to have a little light before she's whisked away by the guards. Slytunkhamen was transfixed by the flickering flame. Watching the wax melt in the dish. Touching a finger to her communication device, Alauna called ahead to Bentley to give him the…Semi-bad news. She whispered as low as she could. _"_ Bentley. Wrong Cooper. It's Slytunkhamen Cooper II." Slytunkahmen's ear twitched hearing his name. _Who is she talking to?_

" _WHAT? DRAT!_ " He blurted angrily. " _I should have known this was too easy._ "

"How do you want to proceed from here?"

" _Learn what you can and then get out of there. The longer you stay, the more likely it is you'll be discovered._ " Alauna was dismayed by the plan. She couldn't just leave Slytunkhamen in that dungeon. Not to be tortured and beaten again. " _I promise we'll come back and save him once we have a plan. But right now Sly is our main priority._ "

"You're right of course." She agreed somberly. They knew where Slytunkhamen was, and she was fairly certain he would still be alive when they returned. But abandoning him still did not sit well with her. _I should think of it as abandoning him. Just biding time._ "Have you heard back from Carmelita yet?"

There was a momentary pause on Bentley's end. Alauna felt her stomach tie itself into knots. " _Not yet."_ He answered soberly. _"I'll keep you posted."_

Alauna could hear the uncertainty in Bentley's voice. But time was of the essence. "Okay." When she ended the call, she felt herself slipping into the darkness of the room. Like it was consuming her. She began to wonder, _What's happening?_

 **(*-*)**

"Put on that disguise, Murray!" Bentley ordered abruptly. "You're going in!"

"YES!" Murray cheered. He fumbled into the back of the van. "OOF!" There was a loud ruckus and grunts as he tried to slip into the tight, yet elastic, uniform. "How does this go on? This has to stretch more! How do they keep these on their head? What's this chin thing for?"

"I'm linking my equipment up with your comlink." Bentley explained through the noise, adamantly prodding away at his holographic computer. "Just listen to my directions and you'll be fine."

"AND…DONE!" The back doors of the van burst open. "WHOA!" Murray toppled from the van. He climbed to his feet, grumbling in discomfort. The Khat – Egyptian head dress – was probably the only thing he felt fit well on him. The lion cloth skirt hugged his legs, and his stomach hung over the waistband. The sandals were a size too small. The wristbands and leather shoulder shawl fit nicely. But if he had to compare, the kimono he wore in Japan was a lot comfier. "ALRIGHT!" He posed, sucking in his gut. "THE MURRAY IS READY TO…UH…" His gut fell over the waistband when he looked up in defeat. "Uh…Bentley…" He scratched his head perplexedly, "How do I get up there?"

"Take the stairs!" Bentley shouted from the window. "I forgot the trampoline."

"AH MAN!" Murray trudged along solemnly. "I hate the stairs."

 **(*-*)**

"Ugh…" Alauna sighed exasperatedly. Her shoulders slumped with defeat. _Why is my life always three times more complicated whenever I run into this lot?_

"Not a riveting conversation?"

"Huh?" Alauna glanced toward Slytunkhamen.

"I do not mean to pry or judge." He chortled. "I, too, find myself talking to those who aren't there when I'm pondering."

"No! No!" Alauna shuffled back into the light, embarrassed that Slytunkhamen overheard. "You misunderstand! I wasn't speaking to an imaginary person!" She waved her hands frantically. "Trust me when I say I have yet to completely lose my mind."

"If you say so." The Cooper retorted dubiously. "Might I inquire as to whom it was you were speaking to?"

"A friend of mine. He's waiting outside."

"Uh-huh." Slytunkhamen pondered this idea for a moment. Alauna said she wasn't crazy, so he needed to give her the benefit of the doubt. "And what spirits gave you the ability to speak with those who are not beside you, without aid of a bird or letter?"

Alauna doubted telling him the truth would hurt anything. Seeing as how the last bit of ancestors were let in on the technological secret. "No spirits." She revealed the small little ear wig to the confused raccoon. "This little device here lets me speak with my friend from a distance greater than what I am." Slytunkahmen's eyes blinked with absolute doubt, with hint of skeptical intrigue. In no manner was he amused by this story. Assuming Alauna was kidding. "What?" Alauna asked.

"Madam, you stated you weren't insane." He motioned his head to the ear wig, "That and what you just said sounds pretty insane to me."

Alauna let out a breath of defeat. There was no possible way to help him understand. The most advanced device in this era is a carrier pigeon, and horse drawn carriages. Camels, given where they were. And maybe mud. It's a good thing she was pressed for time. Otherwise Alauna would be spending six months explaining the concept of technology to a technologically inept Cooper. Maybe longer. Instead Alauna just sort of sat silently. Her thoughts began to drift as she gazed upon Slytunkhamen. She was unable to get over how similar he was in appearance to Sly. They could have been twins.

"You're going to make me feel guilty if you keep looking so somber." Slytunkhamen intruded upon her brooding.

"Huh?" Alauna came out of her daze.

Slytunkhamen smirked impishly. "Do smile at least once. It'll be the ray of sunshine I have coveted for a fortnight." Alauna felt the heat return to her cheeks. Her eyes twinkled in awe. He was most definitely Sly's Ancestor. The silver tongue must have been hereditary. "I guess that's better." Slytunkhamen chuckled. "But an aghast blush is not what I had in mind."

"EH! SORRY!" Alauna's mind fell into a haze. The word stupid wrote itself out by her head. She folded her hands into her lap. "Sorry." She bowed her head. "I just…I mean I…ugh…" She mentally cursed herself. "I thought you were someone else." She said outright.

"As did the guards who brought me here." Alauna gawked in confusion. The guards believed they had Sly? "But unlike you and the guards," He winked flirtatiously, "I'm not too disappointed in the face I see."

Alauna furrowed her brow irately. Slytunkhamen felt doom loom over his head. "It would possibly serve you best, sir, to know that flattery will only go so far with me." She got in close. The flames fed the sharp, unnerving gleam in her eyes.

Slytunkhamen swallowed nervously. The rumble in her voice was very ominous for a woman. "Forgive me." He bowed his head. "But all the words I speak bear no pretense." A dry cough erupted from Slytunkhamen. Patches of blood splattered around the candle.

Alauna moved beside him, helping to erect his body straight so he would not choke to death. She massaged her hand tenderly up and down the scared back, soothing the savage heaves while taking care not to reopen clotting wounds. She was caught off guard by the…moist?...lumps her hand ran over. Looking to his back, she gaped sickly. The guards did not exaggerate. Whip lashings covered his entire back. Some deeper and fresher than others. A few were reopened. Were blood not in the way, Alauna knew she would see bone. With each cough itching his throat, blood spilled from Slytunkhamen's wounds.

"Hold on." Alauna reached behind her back. She had a burlap bottle of water, and a small yet thick loaf of bread. "You may thank the guards when you see them."

"I…shall."

Alauna fed him the water first. Slytunkhamen guzzled down the water as if it were his last. The cooling liquid slurping down his parched throat, drizzling over his crusty fur – it was the spring of nirvana. Truly rejuvenating. Slytunkhamen almost felt tears coming to his eyes. He released his mouth from the bottle. Alauna then fed him pieces of the bread. He picked it apart with his mouth, taking it slow. A good idea given his state.

"Is that better?"

"Ha…Very much so." He sighed happily. "Best in days. Thank you, Miss…"

"Alauna Lea Pard."

"Slytunkhamen Cooper II. T'is a pleasure, Lady Lea Pard."

"Please. Call me Alauna."

"Very well," He bowed his head, "Lady Alauna." Alauna rolled her eyes.

"Now," She fed Slytunkhamen more, hoping to make him more lucid, "You were saying something about Sly. How the Guards thought you were him?" She tugged at the clothing. "How would they know to confuse you two?" _Seeing as this type of clothing shouldn't exist._

"That, I'm afraid, is a long story. One I'm sure the guards haven't given you enough time to hear." Alauna was horrified by how astute he was. She almost lost track of the time. She may have had five minutes at the most. "However I can tell you this," He leaned in, wanting to keep his voice down, "He expected a fox woman, turtle, and hippo to be coming for him. He never mentioned anything about a leopardess."

Alauna's mouth gradually opened. She was utterly stunned. Sly _mentioned_ Murray, Bentley, and Carmelita. He WAS in Egypt. Slytunkhamen DID meet him. Sly was alive...and hopefully well. She felt success on the horizon of this barren Hell. Now all they need do is find him.

"We haven't been in touch lately. Wait?" If Slytunkhamen was the one incarcerated…then…The message in wall! "That handwriting was yours?"

Slytunkhamen nodded his head. "Yes. Your friend said I should leave a message somewhere. Someone from his time would see it."

"So you know Sly is from the future."

"Given the proof of you standing before me, how can I deny it?" At least that bridge was crossed. Which led Alauna to question his earlier doubt. "However unorthodox it may have sounded, I was curious as to the truth of your friend's story. So when I wrote the message I included strands of the fabric from this…very stylish attire." Slytunkhamen gestured to the tears in the shirt at the bottom. It made sense to Alauna. By putting Sly's shirt in the cracks, it altered the wall drastically, making it appear in the future. The fabric faded of course. "But after I wrote the message, a guard destroyed it trying to bash my head in."

That explained the wall crumbling right before Alauna's eyes. "We need to get you out of here." Alauna proposed anxiously. "I think I may be able to sneak you out of here and-"

"Again I must object." Slytunkhamen interjected humbly. "Rescuing me would complicate the matter."

"What matter?"

"The matter of your friend's hiding place." Alauna gapped. He knew where Sly was. "Look. I can escape anytime I wish." Slytunkhamen closed eyes and vanished in the blink of an eye. Alauna jumped back in shock. She then recalled Sly letting her read the Thievius Raccoonus and Slytunkhamen came up. Slytunkahmen's special technique was invisibility. A Cooper family secret passed down throughout the generations. "I'm in this predicament because your friend and I traded identities on my behest. He's only safe because I will not reveal his whereabouts." He said those words with such confidence, sounding as if he would never tell.

"How long have you been doing this?" Alauna asked apprehensively.

"It's been two weeks since they captured me." Alauna marveled in his resolve. She doubted even Murray could handle torture like that. "I haven't broken then and I won't break now. But unless you wish to save your friend you must heed my instructions to the letter. Am I understood?"

"But-" Slytunkhamen bore his stern gaze into Alauna, bringing her protest to a halt. There was also a note of desperation in his eyes. "Very well." She sighed in defeat. She leaned her ear in and listened carefully.

 **(*-*)**

A pair of masked eyes poked from around a corner. Muscular hands grabbed the corner and Murray pulled himself forward. "Huh…uh…hmm…" He grumbled, scanning the hallway. "Not here either." He muttered, stepping into the hall. "Bentley this has to be hallway number 10 and I still haven't found the stairs."

" _Well they have to be somewhere!_ " Bentley blurted. " _And you don't have to sneak around. You have a brown belt. You're ranked the same as that captain."_

"Oh yeah!" Murray strutted along, swinging his arms proudly. Three hyenas meandered by him. Murray saluted them with a wink. The hyenas were rather confused but returned the gesture. "SO COOL! But that still doesn't help me find the-" He stopped, shuffled backwards, and right faced "Oh!" He came to an indentation in the wall with an ascending stairwell. "Found 'em." He announced proudly.

" _Great!_ " Bentley cheered.

Murray hobbled up the stairs. He clamped his hand to the wall as he veered around a sharp turn, dashing up another flight of stairs. Murray entered into the semi darkened corridor. He held a hand to his nose. Sweat, day old loin cloths, and pipe smoke. One of the most horrible of combinations. Also a notable hint of...Murray noticed flies buzzing around a chamber pot in the corner. "YECK! Bentley, I will never complain about your making oozes in the van again."

" _Noted. What do you see?_ "

"Ugly men, pretty women, and some mean looking badgers."

" _That's the right floor_!" Bentley announced excitedly. " _Okay…just follow my instructions and you should find Carmelita. Go straight._ "

"Right." Murray took a single step forward…

"HEY! YOU!"

Murray froze. "Oh boy." He turned his head. One of the Honey Badger guards stomped over to him, boring his beady red eyes into the sweating hippo. "H-Hey there!" Murray greeted dumbly. "What's up?"

"The sky! The Ceiling! Are all of your guards so idiotic?"

"HEY!" Murray prodded his finger into the shorter animal's chest, "WATCH YOUR TONE! I'M A CAPTAIN!"

"OF WHAT DIVISION?" The badger countered.

"Uh…Whuh…"

" _G-GIVE ME A SECOND!_ " Bentley pleaded. " _I can figure this out!_ "

"I don't recognize you!" The Badger…badgered. "Never seen you here or at the palace!"

"I'm new!" Murray laughed nervously. "Just transferred from…Cairo?"

"WE'RE _IN CAIRO_!" The Badger and Bentley howled.

"Oh." Murray felt himself shrinking by the second. "Um..." _BAM!_ Murray sucker punched the badger in the face. The guard fell to the ground unconscious. Murray quickly threw him into a random room. An empty room. Then took off down the hallway. "BENTLEY!" Murray pleaded.

" _TAKE A LEFT, THEN A RIGHT, GO PAST THREE HALLS AND GO LEFT!_ "

"GOTCHA!"

 **(*-*)**

"HA!" Carmelita flipped into the air and came down with a powerful axe kick. The Contessa thrust a claw forward and caught the foot by the ankle. The inspector hung upside down for a second. She then swung forward, then back, wrenched her body up connected her head with the Contessa's face.

"OW!" The Contessa wailed. She clamped her claws to her nose. Carmelita crouched on the landing. She smirked. Blood trickled from The Contessa's nose. Carmelita launched herself forward and lashed out with a swift kick. The Contessa weaved back. The breeze of the kick glided over her skin as the foot missed. The Contessa then latched her claw to Carmelita's neck, nearly cracking the bones. She whipped Carmelita over her head and threw her across a long dining table. Carmelita crashed through the five plates of food, falling to the floor on the other side. Humus and some type of custard dripped from her clothing.

"AH!" Carmelita screamed. The Contessa landed on the table. Her pike feet splintered the wood. Whatever was left on the wooden surface fell onto the floor. The Contessa whirled around and aimed her backside for Carmelita. Carmelita shifted to a hand and foot. A ball of sticky webbing launched from The Contessa. Carmelita sprang and rolled out of the way. The webbing splattered to the wall. The Contessa followed Carmelita's desperate sprint, relentlessly launching volleys of webbing for the evading officer. Carmelita jumped and rolled over the floor. She ducked behind furniture, threw scattered fruit in the line of fire – without any signs of slowing. Carmelita brilliantly repelled the Contessa's attacks. "HUP!" She grunted, diving for her shock pistol. Her fingers wrapped neatly around the grip. Carmelita positioned herself on one knee and aimed.

The Contessa whipped around, a claw inside her dress. "RAH!" She tossed three sickeningly familiar eggs out. The shells shattered on the ground. A spider emerged from each one. Carmelita hissed through gritted teeth, placing her back to the wall. The spiders scurried across the floor in no time flat. Carmelita took aim. In 1, 2, 3 shots the spiders turned into scorch marks on the brown stone ground. Carmelita whisked her gun up for The Contessa. The Contessa was gone. "But where-"

"SURPRISE!" Carmelita shot her gaze up a second too late. A web made net ensnared Carmelita, pinning her spread eagle to the wall. Shock pistol in all. Carmelita struggled against the webbing. It only worsened her situation. The sticky strings were stronger than ropes. Carmelita could not break free. "Ha-ha-ha…" The Contessa lowered herself down from the ceiling on a small string of web. "You always did look only where the barrel of your gun pointed." She mocked the restrained officer as she meandered closer. "Fitting for your one track mind." Carmelita fought even harder against the strong binds. The tip of The Contessa's claw touched under Carmelita's chin, forcing the trapped inspector to look in the blood red eyes. "What a shame you will not be able to see Sly." She raised her other claw, pointing the sharp to Carmelita's stomach. "But I'll be sure to send you to him in pieces." Carmelita's eyes widened. Her world turned into a blur as she focused on the claw. _This can't be happening!_ She screamed to herself. _This isn't happening!_ Tears gathered at the corner of her eye. _Sly…_ The claw darted for her stomach.

"SLY!"

A small table smacked into The Contessa, slamming her into the wall. The table and The Contessa crumbled to the floor. The Contessa groaned dazedly. "What…?" Carmelita gaped perplexedly.

"Carmelita!" Murray ran to the trapped fox woman. "Don't worry! I gotcha." Murray ripped the webbing from the wall. Carmelita touched to the ground. Murray moved to her side, helping her to her feet. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" She moaned exhaustedly. "I'll be fine."

"NOT FOR LONG!" The Contessa growled rabidly. "My dear Murray you have made your final mistake with me!"

"And you made the first mistake…" Murray picked hoisted another table over his head, "OF EVER ANGERING _THE MURRAY_!"

The Contessa groaned, slapping a claw to her shaking head. "Referring to one's self in the third person is a serious sign of mental deficiency."

Train steam whistled out of Murray's ears. He launched the table. The Contessa scurried forward and thrust her claw out, breaking the table in half. Murray emerged from the broken table and connected a punch to The Contessa's face, sending the woman flying into the wall. Little stones pieced away. Her legs curled.

"RUN!" Murray howled. Carmelita didn't need to be told twice. She and Murray picked themselves up, slammed the door open, and mowed over two guards sprinting madly. "BENTLEY! FIRE UP THE VAN _!_ "

" _You got it! Call Alauna and tell her it's time to go!_ "

"ON IT!"

"GRAAAH!" The Contessa charged into the hallways, frothing at the mouth. Guards wounded by footprints on their faces groaned dazedly. Contessa picked both up, growling heatedly. "DON'T JUST SIT THERE, YOU FOOLS!" The Contessa kicked them down the hall,. "SOUND THE ALARM! GET AFTER THEM! NONE OF THEM LEAVE THIS PLACE ALIVE!"

 **(*-*)**

"Thank you for your assistance." Alauna curtsied to the two guards.

"Our pleasure, My Lady." One of the guards bowed. The other locked the door to the back dungeon. As the hinges were locked in place, Alauna felt a sharp jolt spark in her chest. Leaving Slytunkhamen alone in that dark place was tearing at her. But she had a mission to complete. "If there is anything else we can do-"

" _ALLIE! ALLIE!_ " Alauna's earcom screeched.

Alauna slapped her hands to her ears. "OW!" She dropped to her a knee.

"UH! MY LADY!" The guards gasped. They knelt down to her. "Is all well?"

"Grr…" Alauna growled. Her ears were ringing.

" _ALLIE! RUN! TROUBLE!_ " Murray panicked. His voice was distorted through the screeches.

"What?" Alauna groaned.

"I asked if you-"

"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" A Honey Badger from the second floor howled from down the hall. "WE HAVE INTRUDERS IN THE COMPOUND!" Alauna froze. "BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR A FOX WOMAN, AND A HIPPO DRESSED IN GUARDS GARB!" Alauna gritted her teeth. Fangs biting her lower lip. _Dammit!_ Alauna reached under her skirt.

"My Lady, this place is no longer safe!" Guard 2 urged. "You must-" Cold steel sliced the guard's neck. A large graze opened in his neck and he crumbled to the ground dead. Alauna twirled the blade backwards. Her thumb was on the end of a hilt. The steel blade gleamed.

"WHAT!" The badger and remaining guard flinched. Alauna flashed a deadpan glare to her remaining escort. She tore the sides of the skirt, allowing her legs to spread. She shifted into her defensive stance. A gleam as sharp as her blade radiated in the slit pupils. "ATTACK YOU FOOL!" The badger howled. In the blink of an eye Alauna drew her revolver. The guards were taken aback by the weapon. It was most unusual. One, two shots were fired. Spiraling balls of fire hissed through the air. The embers tore the air in a trail of heated fumes. Point blank in their chest were the guards struck. They fell to the ground, never to rise again.

"Hmph!" Alauna sneered her lip, flaring her fangs. "Pathetic!" She puffed the barrel smoke.

" _ALAUNA! YOU THERE?_ " Bentley cried over the comlink.

"I'm here! My hearing too!" Alauna spat. Her ears were still ringing from Murray's frantic screams. "Now what's this I hear about trouble?" Alauna questioned, dashing down the corridor.

" _Just get back to the van! And don't use the stairs!_ "

"Never thought of it!" Alauna came to a window. Peering out she saw the van three stories down and a few feet to the left. "Tell me you still have that cushion!"

" _Yeah! Why?_ "

"HEY YOU! HALT!" A gator guard commanded.

Alauna perched herself on the window. "CATCH ME!"

 **(*-*)**

"WAIT! WHAT?!" Bentley peered out of the passenger window. Naturally he looked up and saw what Alauna meant. "NO DON'T!" He pleaded too late. Alauna launched herself from the window. A guard lurched over the edge in an attempt to grab her.

As she fell for the ground, Alauna whipped herself around and fired another ember round. The guard was struck in the head, falling dead in the window. "ANYTIME, BENTLEY!" She urged. The sand was soft, but she would suffer numerous broken bones. Bentley threw himself forward, wrenching the glove compartment open. He pressed a button in hidden beneath papers. The back bumper of the van opened like a garage door. A black rubber mass puffed from the cramped space in the bumper and spat out a circular black mattress. "OOF!" Alauna bounced a couple times, safely landing. A breath of relief exasperated from her whirling chest. "Nice catch." She thanked tiredly. Adrenaline robbed the strength from her legs.

Bentley gritted his teeth, pulling himself over the seat. Alauna winced. He wasn't too happy. "WHAT THE HELL POSSESSED YOU TO JUMP FROM THE WINDOW?" He scolded. Alauna's ears drooped. Angry howls overwhelmed the running van engine. His concern roared from his tone like fire. "WHAT IF I HADN'T CAUGHT YOU?"

"Aw…" Alauna rolled off the rubbery surface, "You wouldn't let me fall to my death." She climbed in through the back doors of the van. "Besides," She sat behind Bentley, smiling giddily, "There wasn't a doubt in my mind you wouldn't catch me."

Bentley's green cheeks flushed bright red. He cleared his throat nervously. The rubber mattress was recalled. "Have-Have you heard from Carmelita or Murray?"

"Before or after Murray blew my ear out?"

"WHOA!" A loud wail was heard from the front of the compound. Followed by volleys of arrows.

"There they are!" Bentley announced.

"Sorry if your stomach can't handle it!" Alauna jumped to the driver's seat. "But I think this calls for that quick getaway you asked for!"

 **(*-*)**

"KEEP GOING!" Carmelita roared. Murray rounded three consecutive hallways. Carmelita brought up the rear, firing her shock pistol at the pursuing guards. Gators and Badgers ran over the toppled guards, not losing Carmelita or Murray. A handful of Hyenas cackled victoriously as they cut of their path. Murray dug his feet to a halt. Carmelita grabbed his skirt and dragged him down a random hallway. The rabble of guards squeezed into the corridor, roaring _Halt_ as they ran after them.

"Just another left and two more rights and we're out!" Murray announced happily.

"Good to know!" Carmelita whipped around, prancing backwards. Instead of the guards she shot at the lanterns and beams above. Planks of wood tripped two gators onto a hyena. Two hyenas and badgers climbed over them and were struck by falling lanterns, falling unconscious. A gator, badger, and hyena emerged from behind them. "There's no end to these guys!"

Murray tripped over his own feet coming to a turn. Luckily he bounced off the wall and back onto his feet. Daylight was straight ahead. Just a few more steps. A blinding light flushed into his eyes. "WHOA!" Murray came to an abrupt halt. His hands and stomach smacked into a stone railing. Carmelita then crashed into him. They were on the second story balcony. The one with the hangman's noose.

"GOTCHA!" The two gaped in horror to the doorway. The three guards cackled triumphantly with their swords in hand. Carmelita and Murray were trapped. "We know not the sorcery behind that little device you wield, woman," The Gator hissed, "But I know you and your friend can't defeat us all."

"Wanna bet, you walking handbag?" Carmelita hissed. Murray clenched his fingers into tight fists. This was going to be fun for him.

"Why don't you both come quietly?" The Hyena cackled. "It's would save you so much pain." Carmelita and Murray growled through their gritted teeth. Murray tore the hat from his head, ripped the skirt a ways, and got into his fighters stance. Carmelita followed his lead, aiming her pistol.

"MURRAY! CARMELITA!" The two turned their heads to the ground below. Bentley and Alauna waved frantically from the van. The black mattress was tied to the top. "HURRY!" Bentley urged them. "SLY'S WAITING!" Carmelita's eyes widened hearing Sly's name. _He's waiting?_

"GET THEM!" The badger ordered. The three guards charged.

"WELL LET'S GO!" Murray tossed Carmelita over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He climbed to the railing, spreading his feet for the long jump. "GERONIMO!" He wailed, plugging his nose as he took the plunge. Scimitars swiped through the air as they missed. Murray and Carmelita bounced as they landed safely on the roof of the van. "FLOOR IT!" Murray howled.

"GOT IT!" Alauna turned the wheel, floored her foot. The wheels dug up the sand into a massive cloud reaching to the second floor. The guards coughed and choked on the dust. Sand got into their eyes, blinding them for a couple of seconds. The cloud dissipated in the air. The van was gone.

The Contessa sauntered onto the balcony with her claws folded behind her back. She stepped over the coughing guards nonchalantly, ignoring their obvious, pitiful state defeat. Indentations of that ridiculous van the cooper gang sported were bored into the sand, darting straight out of the gorge and into the canyon. "No matter." The Contessa growled. "I know where they are going." A sinister smirk slithered from ear to ear. "And even if I lose them," She glanced to the sky, "My eyes in the sky will alert me to their position."

A shadowed silhouette soared through the sky. A massive pair of wings spanned in the sun's scorching rays.

 **Hope you enjoyed it. Later.**


	6. Birds of Prey & Opportunity

**Birds**

 **of**

 **Prey & Opportunity**

 **Here's the next chapter folks. Enjoy.**

…

" _What do you mean they escaped?_ " An unnervingly shallow grave voice snarled edgily. He spoke in a low rumble. Thunder rumbling before shook the earth.

Contessa folded her claws. She scoffed venomously, turning her back to the shadowed figure on the large wall monitor. "Just as it sounds!" She hissed. She wasn't going to dignify the answered question with a sophisticated response. Her shivering insides dulled her sharp tongue. "Inspector Fox and those two fools of that blasted Cooper Gang escaped! End of story!"

Ominous yellow eyes narrowed, burning her back. A menacing hum brought ice to her shoulders. " _Or perhaps your track record for failure is living up to it's reputation._ " The figure calmly shredded The Contessa and her blatant disrespect.

Contessa whipped around, bore heated daggers at the hiding figure. "Get off your high horse! Plan B of my plan is already in motion!" She growled, insulted by the very insinuation she was incompetent. "Falcons are tracking the escaping gang as we speak! No doubt those fools are en route to Cooper's location as we speak! The second they make contact, I will have them all right where I want them!"

The man behind the shadows chuckled derisively at the bold declaration. " _Careful now, Contessa. I'd hate for your planes to blow up as they did in Prague._ " He leaned in. Rows of razor sharp teeth shown in a demonic grin. " _Your feathered ally was very descriptive of your failures_."

Contessa slammed a claw on a table. Red wine spilled everywhere. "THAT CRIPPLE IS NO ALLY OF MINE! NOR DO I GIVE ONE IOTA OF CONCERN TOWARD YOUR OPINIONS!" Her rage echoed all throughout the prison. Guards nearby were shivering. Aftershocks of her anger caused pebbles to break from the walls. "I do not see you or him getting your tail feathers out here and helping! If you are as much a genius as you claim, get down here and prove it!"

" _Perhaps another time. One genius accompanying you is enough, I think. I would hate for your self esteem to be in jeopardy with two more added._ "

"GRAH!" Contessa sent a fruit bowl flying. It cracked on a button, killing communications. Over ripe pears and tangelos squished, staining priceless fabrics. **…**

The shadowed figure chuckled. The monitor returned to a slot in the ceiling. "She certainly has the fiery temper, doesn't she?"

"Merely because her pride was wounded." A beak bit a chunk out a mango. Tantalizing juice trailed the jaw, sticking to green feathers. After swallowing, a tongue licked up the juice, savoring the sweet, tangy, delectable goodness. "She was one of my more brilliant operatives." A worm poked it's head up. Green feather plucked the worm, dropping it down the throat of the mango's consumer. "My spice plans would never have last beyond phase three were it not for her."

"Then she better produce swift, satisfying results soon, _Arpeggio._ Or it will be you I _pluck_ from the operation."

Arpeggio chuckled smugly, biting into his savory mango again. Idle threats raised no fear in the bird's heart. "Ye of little faith. Patience. The prize we seek is nearly upon us."

…

"Blasted birds! I should be sinking my fangs in them and draining every last drop of fluids!" Contessa pressed a button so hard she came close to shattering it. "Listen well, pests! Either locate Cooper and his blasted gang before sundown, or I swear I will mummify you myself and watch the scarabs devour you."

" _Chill out! Yeesh! We see the van now._ "

"Good! Intercept only when Cooper is found."

" _Do not tell us how to do our jobs, you foul git! We will retrieve them with ease!_ "

"You had better!" Contessa ended the conversations. She grew tired of the constant disrespect. By the gods of Egypt she will be respected. She stormed off, shoving guards out of her path, then burst into Slytunkhamen's cell.

"Why hello, Madam Vizier. Come to keep me company?" A claw swatted him across the face. It ripped a deep graze, nearly perforating the cheek. "I take that as a no..." He grunted.

"I grow tired of your games, rodent." Contessa pressed a foot to his head, drawing fresh blood from the skull. "Tell me where the Cooper is hiding, and perhaps I will spare your miserable life."

"Never..." He strained against the drilling foot. "Do with me what you will! I shall not betray my family!" He struggled, twisting his hateful, defiant glare up at her. "Not to you, or Pharaoh Pardelaytra!"

"Then I have no choice." She surprised Slytunkhamen by removing her foot. "When my infantry fails, I will have to bring your _family_ to me." Slytunkhamen despised the thought of being used as bait. Alauna's capture was imminent because of him. This harpy will not get Sly as well. "But first..." Contessa revealed a small mechanical millipede, "A little something for the road." She pinned Slytunkhamen to the floor by his back. She set the millipede to his head. It scurried along. From the stem of the brain to the forehead it lied. It's tiny, sharp pronged legs pierced the skull. Millions of sharp burning pinches split his skull in half. Slytunkhamen cried out in agony. The Millipede hummed vibrating, glowing orange amid the darkness. He moaned loudly, short shrill cries of pain ringing out. The Contessa watched the fool writhe. "The Coopers will fall. Their entire bloodline will become nothing but a mockery."

…

 **Flashback**

 _"The Pharaoh would see me hung for embarrassing him. But for one reason or the other, The Lady Vizier wants your friend." Slytunkhamen warmed Alauna forebodingly. "If your friend is my descendant, killing me would end the Cooper line. But that is not what she wanted."_

 _"What does she want?" Alauna shuddered to ask._

 _"I honestly do not know. All I know is that wretch wishes to get her claws on him." He regretted to inform her. "Numerous times while she tortured me, she would stop randomly, shouting at someone." He put a finger in his ear. "A finger always in her ear. After meeting Sly, you - I determined she must be from the future as well. You must keep him from her at all costs. Find him and take him back to your time."_

 _"He will demand that we come for you."_

 _"Then you must dissuade him!" Slytunkhamen hollered. Alauna moved back. "I know the look of revenge, Lady Alauna! The woman burned with it! She hungered for revenge like wolves hunger for flesh! She will destroy Sly if she get's him!" He grabbed her hand, pulling her close, forcing Alauna to understand the desperation of his request. "Please! I beg you! Find Sly! Take him back home!"_

 **Flashback End**

Miles of dropping down steep dunes, launching leagues across gaps, and evading herds of wild horses, Egypt's desert leveled the van's journey, offering a smooth ride a considerable way. A cloud of kicked up sand was stolen by high desert winds. The Cooper Van narrowly escaped being swept away by a hazardous sandstorm. The sun was gradually setting beyond the mountains opposite of the van's path. Blue skies shrouded by a gorgeous orange. Bentley took the opportunity to create a virtual map, using the sun's position to map their geological position. Murray had taken the wheel a few hours ago. Carmelita rode beside him, acting as a second set of eyes in case more unfriendly faces decided to appear. Alauna aided Bentley by drawing a paper map in case the technology was rendered useless.

The long drive gave everyone a pause for thought. Murray, Bentley, and Carmelita more than Alauna. Previous time travelling weighed suffocatingly upon them enough. Losing Sly in the process. Now here they were again. Dragged centuries before their time, only to find Time was being toyed with for personal gain. The whole matter was a nightmare that never seemed to want to end.

The Contessa wormed her way to the BC era. Another time machine was born into the world. Unfortunately Bentley's logic refused to accept she arrived here on her own. To worsen matters wasn't his goal, but to gain a foothold in what to expect. The Contessa is clever. Her intelligence in strategy rivals Bentley's. Regardless there is in no way she was smart enough to build a time machine. Let alone journey here of her volition. No. Though it sickened Bentley to amplify the reality of it - The Contessa has a team.

"So The Contessa is the Lady Vizier." Alauna shook her head, laughing in disbelief. She touched a hand irritably to her forehead. "This is mutating into one Hell of a rescue operation."

"Another time machine..." Bentley moaned solemnly. "My best friend is in jeopardy...and it's my fault."

"Bentley..." Alauna reached out.

"No time to think like that!" Carmelita encouraged him. Alauna shied back. "This is everyone's fault. If we weren't so preoccupied wallowing in misery, we might have gotten wind of something like this sooner. The only thing we can do now is move forward." Alauna was moved. Carmelita was 's plans instigated the first race between time traveling the last time. Since then he's carried a hefty burden. The team can't afford to have the brains distracted. Everyone needed to be on their game. "We need to find a way to get The Contessa out this era and back to ours."

"How could she possibly know Sly ended up here?" Murray asked, demanding this mystery be made clear. "More importantly, how did she get out of jail?"

Alauna knew the answer to that one. "A year after you defeated her, she was released on good behavior." The van went dead silent. "I know. The Bounty on her head reiterated the same befuddlement. A year after that she was allowed to return to Italy. A summer home she purchased before her husband _died_."

"But that still doesn't explain how she knew to come after Sly here." Murray stressed.

"All of that will have to come later!" Bentley roared. He was focused on validating sense on their situation. Phase one of that goal entailed a map. Knowledge of their surroundings. "Okay so Slytunkhamen told you to head northeast...?" Bentley rotated the virtual map, creating an indicator for the prison, and landmarks they've past since their hasty departure. The prison rested southwest...a mountain formation several leagues beyond it.

Alauna touched where she guesstimated the waypoints. "Northeast to the capital…" Apprehension gripped her heart. They've been driving for - going on - two hours now. Either they missed the capital or it was WAAAY out of the way. "Then head east until the sand dries, and look for the ocean breeze in the heat. If we wind up at the Sphinx, we've gone to far."

"An ocean breeze in the middle of the desert?" Even Murray knew that didn't make a lick of sense.

"Tell me there's more than that to go on!" Carmelita barked, growing annoyed by the endless sight of sand, cacti, and wild horses and camels.

Alauna understood her anger. Deserts were never her favorites either. An endless sea of dunes, oppressive heat, and unrelenting dry winds. Dying by stroke was not her idea of going out with a bang. "He said we will pass by two small villages," Bentley mapped those when they whisked by ages ago, "A merchant's market," Carmelita invested in exotic oils, "Followed by an oasis shelter built for the weary traveller." Where Murray bought every snack he could find. "The last landmark is to cross over a narrow bridge amid two gaping canyons filled with cobras." Bentley's stomach gurgled thinking about how close they came to falling in. "When we see the gates of the capital city - Melistan - we should stay a mile away and proceed east."

Bentley's fingers drove 300 miles per second on his keyboard, jotting down every footnote and guide possible to help him keep mind of their surroundings. A fully depicted map of ancient Egypt was one small mountain range from being completed. "I've mapped the Capital." Bentley announced mostly to himself, lost deep in thought. A curious hum gathered the attention of his friends. Everyone could hear the gears grinding in that little green head of his. "We should stop in the city." He said aloud.

"What?!" Carmelita boomed, breaking the turtle from his thoughts. "We can't make any stops! We have to save Sly!"

"I agree with you! Sly is our main priority!"

"Then why would you ask us to make a pit stop?"

"So that we know who it is that we're dealing with!" He roared at the top of his lungs. Carmelita was stunned to silence. Murray stayed focused on the road, but was startled by Bentley's thunderous roar. Alauna swallowed nervously. "Sly's important! You of all people do not need to remind me! But you just said because of Sly being our main focus we were blind sided! CONTESSA'S PRESENCE IS THE BIGGEST BLIND SIDE I'VE EVER SEEN!"

"Bentley, calm down!" Alauna pleaded sternly. "Carmelita meant nothing!"

"If she's going to constantly question every plan I have, then she can take her happy ass home! I won't let her pighead stop me from saving my friend!"

"EX- _CUSE_ ME! TURTLE-"

"The Pharaoh may be an ally from the future." Alauna added swiftly and loud enough for Carmelita to halt the approaching verbal assault. "For things to be running as smoothly as they are, he must be in on it." Carmelita grunted heatedly. She leaned on the open window sill, glaring at the scenery. "For all we know The Pharaoh and Contessa could be tracking the van. We'd be leading them to Sly." Carmelita's ears dropped somberly. It wasn't unheard of for Interpol to track the Cooper Van. Enemies of the Cooper Gang undoubtedly thought to do the exact same thing.

"What if he's not from the future?" Murray asked, catching onto her roose. Carmelita lowered her gaze to the speeding sand, considering the numerous possibilities. "What if he's just going along with her like those Dodo's working for Grizz?"

Carmelita lost track of the conversation. A black mass passed by the sideview mirror. "Hm?"

"Even Grizz had someone from present day close by lending him a hand." Bentley concurred. Carmelita weaved in her seat, searching for the mass she saw. She thought she was hallucinating. Then it moved like a flash across the sky. Her eyes widened. "I'm sure The Contessa has a partner helping her out."

"UH, you'd be right!" Carmelita charged her shock pistol, ducking low in her seat. "We've got a bogey on our tail."

Alauna sprang to the back doors, pressing her back below the window. She twirled her guns. The clip was full. Her thumbs rolled temperature dials on the grip's spine, heating the bullets to 25%. She peered to the fading desert, keeping low enough to not be noticed from afar. Her brow furrowed. Two bird shaped shadows glided over the sand. Murray must have been driving a hundred plus miles. The distance those birds were closing was rapidly increasing each second. Alauna shot her gaze up. She winced, flinching back. Rays of Egypt's sunset beamed as powerfully as a midday sun.

"Did you see them?"

"The blasted sun's in my eyes! Can't see who we're up against!" She blinked rapidly, clearing the dots. Clever birds those were. Hiding in the sun's light. Nature. The ultimate defense and offense. "Unfortunately Carmelita is still correct. Two birds are hot on our tail and gaining."

Murray peered to the sideview mirror. He screamed, veering past a rock he narrowly missed, then went back to spotting for birds. The sun was as blinding as it was hot. Mountains and hills miles behind them outlines engulfed in shadow. Murray snapped on his goggles. The sun's glares dimmed enough. Silhouettes crossed over and under one another. Wide wingspans swayed on the desert winds. Crimson yellow eyes shine within the hue.

"I SEE THEM!" Murray tossed his goggles to Alauna. "THEY'RE GAINING FAST!" The goggles were a loose fit. Alauna managed. So long as they worked.

The UV rays died down. Alauna found the skulking birds. "I see them." Their terrible eyes boring holes in the van, shredding it's riders. Talons sharp as swords clapped, hungering to rip the van apart. "They're moving closer as the sun lowers. But I can see them closing the distance. What's this?" Light reflected off the bodies. "Remember how we agreed the future was helping Contessa?"

"Yeah. Why?" Bentley dreaded asking.

"These birds are metal."

"Metal?!" Bentley cried. He threw up his binocucom and zoomed in. "HOLY CHRISTMAS! THEY ARE FALCONS! METAL FALCONS!"

"WHO THE HECK HAS METAL FALCONS?" Carmelita snarled.

"I don't know, and I don't care!" Alauna holstered her guns.

"What are you doing?" Carmelita asked.

"Those avians have the advantage. If we fight them out here we could lose our only means of surviving the desert." The van. She climbed halfway to the front. Carmelita shuffled to the window. "We need to set the stage, bring them to us." Vast desert dampered Alauna's spirits. Open area, no means for quick evasion or cover. A getaway was not an option. Malistan remained hidden beyond the desert's horizon. They were sitting dorks if those falcons realized they were onto them.

"What's that? Over there?" Carmelita announced anxiously. Alauna crawled on her. Towers of solid rock stood erect a mere half mile away. Connecting arches withering by years of grueling sandstorms. Large dips and gaps. A small valley of earth protruding rock. Holes large enough to be seen afar Alauna an idea.

"MURRAY! HANG A RIGHT!"

Murray snapped the wheel. The van slid before darting straight for the valley. He and Carmelita acted casually for the skyview eyes while Alauna relayed her plan. For the plan to work, the falcons needed to be drawn in without incident. They attack beforehand and they were going to risk losing the van. Carmelita pretended not to notice the falcons hovering.

"They're watching us, Alauna…" She grew antsy.

"Let them." Alauna strapped on her weapons. "Birds are as unhealthily curious as we felines." She licked her lips hungrily. "I will savor plucking their feathers." Bentley stocked his bombs and darts. Murray's grip ground the wheel. Carmelita readied her pistol.

 **...**

"Where on earth are they going?" Falcon two snapped impatiently. Hydraulics pumping flight to the whirring joints. Focused air jets kept the heavy steel iron aloft. "They drive hundreds of miles past nowhere, now they're heading for a pile of rocks?"

"Perhaps they know we are following them?" Falcon one sniggered, snapping his talons.

"And Carmelita not shooting us down? Not a chance."

"True. That shock pistol harpy shows very little control over her itchy trigger finger." Falcon one's head shook the distraction to the back of his mind. The van was nearing the grouped rock formations. "We'll lose them if we keep squawking like this. I don't need Contessa nagging anymore than she thinks she has too."

"I agree. I always did hate taking orders from that eight legged wretch."

 **...**

The first arch was crossed. Shadows of the falcons crossed the arch. Overpaths and pillars blocked the sun. Clouds of dust hugged to the pillars. Already the area changed. As if the desert were spanned leagues away. A stark pressure grabbed Murray and Bentley. Carmelita and Alauna - ravenous excitement clung to those pillars. Narrow passages squeezed them in. Like trees - canopies blinding the ground from the circling falcons.

"Bentley...I don't like this..." Murray moaned, hugging the wheel. Massive holes The whirr of the van's engine echoed, reverberating as demonic growls. The falcons passed overhead, looping the skies, stalking them like vultures. Murray was tempted to bail out of the van.

"Keep it together..." Bentley also sensed the hungry watch of their pursuers. Nevertheless he needed to keep his head. If Murray sees him calm, he'll likely follow suit. Can't have the drive crashing.

A thick cloud of dust the van created offered insufficient, but good enough, cover. Bentley's computers weeded out the falcons' signals. Using the circumference they flew, calculating the radius the van drove inside...

"Whenever you two are ready." He spoke in the comlink.

 **...**

Falcon One scanned the clouded surface. Falcon Two rounded the valley, keeping watch at all possible exits should the van choose try to escape. Tacky blue paint and shawdy flames stuck out like sore thumbs. He'd see them in a crowd of blue flamed camels. The sun stepped below the mountain's horizon. An orange sky faded beyond a navy hue. Light allowing the Falcons to see past the dust vanished. Steadily visual was lost. The dust cloud grew thicker every time the van sharply rounded a spire.

"GRR! MURRAY! I hated his driving!" Falcon One hissed.

Following the new wave of dust made it simple to track where the van was heading. Murray was driving erratically. Heading one direction then driving back in the opposite direction. The twin falcons wished to rely on the wind to remove the obstacle. Unfortunately the wind was dying down with the setting sun.

Falcon Two snarled venomously. "I'm going in lower."

"Stay sharp. This could be a trap."

"Pfft! Please! None of them are half the thieves they once were without Sly." Falcon Two dove.

Falcon One hovered, watching his comrade disappear beneath the dust. "Proud fool." He sighed mournfully - albeit sarcastic. "And we're supposed to be a collection of geniuses." Unbeknownst to the Falcon, Carmelita was aiming a fully charged shock pistol right at the his back.

 **...**

The dust was thicker than Falcon Two realized. He could barely see two feet in front of him. Narrowly did he miss the spire bodies. He rose and dove past inconveniently suspended arches. He flew low, wanting to escape the obstacles. He would have made a messy landing had he not stopped the last second.

"Dammit!" His mighty wings only kicked up more dust. He ascended slowly, taking care not to hit the rocks closing around him. "Grr...stupid rocks! Should have stayed up top." Alauna shuffled silently in one of the holes, crouching to the ledge. Falcon One was just below her. Her Revolvers were charged to 25% again. The Falcon blinked twice. Emerald green lenses made the smoke nonexistent. Clear line of sight to the ground, pillars, and a van retreating to the open desert. Falcon Two laughed victoriously. "There you are." It's beak slacked open. Golden particles gathered in the throat. "Die-"

An ear piercing screech was followed by a loud crash. Falcon One lied in the sand in shambles, surges of electricity spasming the malfunctioning limbs. Exposed wires dangling barely held the bird together. "What the Hell happened?"

"I believe it is called an ambush!" Falcon Two veered to the voice. He gasped in dismay. Twin revolvers summoned searing heat to their compact barrels. A blue leopardess wrapped her finger to the trigger. "Happy day."

"You're-" The sound barrier kindled. Two shots struck the Falcon's forehead. Knit, sharp brow antenna broke apart. The metal monstrosity went down...down...crashing into the other grounded bird.

"Birds of prey plucked." She blew smoke off her revolver barrels. Satisfied with a job well done, Alauna crawled for the exit. A loud hiss caught her ear. The dust was dispersing. Strong puffs of steam broke the smoke screen. "Huh?" Alauna put on her binocucom. "This isn't good." Talons screeching as they curled, beaks jiggling, bulging eyes flashing on and off - The birds were still kicking. Or so she thought.

The hydraulics and engines whirred to a sober halt. Eyes dimmed off, limbs reduced to scrap metal. Power shut down completely. Pent up steam released inner chamber locks. Double hatch doors parted the chests. Alauna hit record on the binocucom. Bentley and the others will want to see what they were up against. Figures dressed in black combat suits evacuated the birds. Masks and protective goggles obscured their faces, and the smoke screen Murray created prevented her from studying any outlining features. Zooming in closer, she saw one pull out a flare gun.

"Time to go!" She ran as if death was on her heels. It might as well be. She put her butt to the ground and rode a coarse, steep slide to the awaiting van. She wasted no time jumping inside. "GET THE LEAD OUT! THEY HAVE A FLARE GUN!" Murray stepped on the gas, and they were back on the road.

…

"Well THAT was...a colossal...failure!" The figure holding the flare gun coughed. Dust weaseled into his lungs. "What the heck happened to you?"

"ME! What happened to you?" The taller figure retorted, not taking all the blame for the failed mission. "You were the first to crash and burn!"

"Carmelita got the drop on me!" He launched a flare in the sky. Neon red lit up the evening sky. "She damaged the hydraulic pipes!"

The tall figure faced away from his colleague. "Turns out the group manages just fine without Sly."

"Well it wasn't Sly that brought you down!"

"No...no it wasn't." The tall figure rasped soberly. Peering to the hole the leopardess hid in, a warm, delightful joy filled his heart. "It would appear the Cooper Gang dabbles in Bounty Hunting as well."

 **...**

The Cooper Gang's drive felt remarkably smoother now that the skies were clear. Night embraced the desert, summoning the nocturnal creatures to the surface. Scorching hot sand was cooled by the moon's radiant glow. Bentley reviewed the video Alauna caught moments before retreating. Carmelita hovered over them, wanting to get a good look at the attackers. Murray was a little upset because he was designated driver. He cleared the irritation by remembering that Sly was counting on them. Murray must have chugged his fifth energy drink, forcing himself to stay awake. The van was climbing a steep soft sanded hill. More like a mountain.

As the video progressed - Bentley cleaning up the haze as it went along - Alauna had them watch closely. It came to the part where steam disrupted the dust, then the hatches opened. Carmelita and Bentley leaned in, eyes widened astonished. Their previous hypothesis was proven correct. The Contessa had present day helpers. Fully capable pilots, no less. Murray's back ached at the news. An omen that began the last time travelling venture. It signaled him to watch his back for _people that didn't belong._

"Things are now more complicated." Bentley announced, not caring that he stated the obvious. He closed the computer. A knot in his stomach nauseated him. He didn't need to say it for the others to know. There were more falcons where those came from.

"Think they followed us from the prison?" Carmelita wondered.

"My instruments would have detected the slightest hint of technology if they were at the prison." Bentley cupped his chin, rumbling pensively. "No. They must have come from somewhere close by. The hydraulic fluid they use would surely-" _LIGHT BULB!_ Inspiration struck the turtle, "THE HYDRAULICS!"

Murray screamed. The van jumped in response. Alauna and Carmelita jumped, frightened, into each other's lap. "WHAT ABOUT THEM?" The trio hollered.

Bentley materialized his fancy holographic computer. Those fingers of his danced up, down, and sideways on that keyboard. "And...DONE!" A special program he installed began running. "In a couple hours, my patented _gas and fluid douser program_ will isolate and locate the source of the hydraulic fluid."

Murray, Carmelita, and Alauna echoed with the most bewildered of expressions, "Patented gas and fluid douser program?"

"Basically it weeds out the largest source of oil based fuel sources and locks onto it. Like gasoline or hydraulic fluid."

"Uh, Bentley," Murray raised his hand, wanting to interject, "Gas hasn't been invented yet."

"Exactly!" Murray wasn't following. To be honest, Carmelita and Alauna were missing the big picture. Bentley, on the other hand, was beaming. "Hydraulic fluid not only powered the flapping, it was expelled from those jets keeping the Falcons in the air."

"OH!" Alauna gasped. Before she went on, there was the matter of Carmelita hugging her. She shoved the fox off and returned to Bentley. "There's a trail!" Her tail wagged.

"PRECISELY!" He pressed her nose. "If there's even the tiniest bit of hydraulic fluid, my scanners will pick up on it and follow it to the source."

"And that helps us how?" Carmelita massaged her aching back, waiting to be amazed. "Will it tell you how many more falcons there are?"

"No." Bentley answered, feeling a little down that he hadn't thought of that. "But I will be able to track the falcons if there are anymore." The three were so engrossed in their conversation they didn't even notice Murray stopped the van atop the monstrous dune. He downed the lights.

"Hey guys!" Murray was glued in amazement to the road ahead. "I don't mean to interrupt. But you've gotta see this." Carmelita crawled to her seat. Alauna scooped up Bentley and joined them. When they followed Murray's gaze, jaws hit the ground.

Mountainous dunes, overlooking the miles of open desert that dared not be crossed, collected to form a slope spanning an inconceivable distance in either direction. From afar it was no more than an obstacle. Up close, it was a barrier. The same barrier poured loose grains of sand to the. Rays of luminescent moon light reflected off the sand, watching it tumble and slide only to come to a halt at the foot of thick, aged stone. One coarse block became two, then three, then a hundred, and then a thousand. Until hundreds of thousands unyielding block transformed into an impressive and intimidating wall.

"This may not be as easy as I made it sound." Bentley admitted. He stifled the urge to vomit.

Slytunkhamen never mentioned the city was military grade fortress. Bentley was amazed beyond being able to use calculus. Four monstrous walls - god knows how tall, thick, or wide - entrapped a metropolis. The dune was high enough they could see into the city. Torches scattered about the city outline the basic structure of the city. The wall was like a square of flickering fire. Pretty calm, signs of poverty - nothing to suggest neglect. Then again it was the middle of the night. In the daylight it will probably look completely different.

Glowing lights uniformly separated rested in the very back of the city. Rising and falling, ignited brighter than any of the torches providing light to the streets. Carmelita had to zoom in on her binocucom in order to make it out, but ultimately her assumption was right. Spires scaling to the sky, walls of immaculate condition, the only building that stood out more than a sore thumb. The Palace.

Alauna climbed to the roof of the van. Using the binocucom she scanned the wall. "I sincerely doubt we'll get in there tonight." She switched to night vision. "There...ten heavily armed guards on each wall. Not to mention wall mounted crossbows loaded with pikes."

"Even if we make it to the wall unseen," Carmelita hummed, sensing the failure should they charge in head on, "There's the matter of that gate being our only entrance." She meant the heavily barred gate serving as the entrance.

"Nuh-uh…" Bentley tapped his chin. "With places this big there's always two or more ways in. But that'll have to come later." He opened the laptop and reviewed the map Alauna helped him draw. "We need to head east from here. Until the sand dries. Right?"

Alauna nodded. "And a breeze amid the desert heat."

"What's that mean, anyway?" Carmelita scratched her head.

"We'll find out when we get there." Murray started up the van. He backed up down the hill, keeping the lights off so not to rouse curious eyes. "You guys should get some rest. Who knows how long it'll take the sand to dry up."

"Murray, you shouldn't drive the whole night." Alauna urged him.

"I won't." He turned and start to head east. "Just until the sand dries up." Alauna and Bentley smirked, shaking their heads. They couldn't help but laugh. They took him up on their offer anyway. Alauna took the front seat this time. She nestled in the seat and quickly fell asleep. Bentley shut down his chair and computers, and retreated to his shell. A small pain pressed Carmelita's heart. There was a loop forming and she wasn't in it. An officer amongst criminals. Can't be anymore out of the loop than that.

 **...**

Agent One was swatted across the face by a crab claw. A desk was crushed as he hit the floor. Splinters poking through the fabric into his arms. The Contessa rasped venomously, burning her agent alive with her Hellish glare. Saliva dripped down her gangs like venom. She hungered to chew her miserable underlings apart.

"You pathetic worms!" The Contessa howled at the top of her lungs. "I ask you to do ONE THING!" Contessa kicked agent two in the stomach, sending him flying into the wall. "AND YOU DARE COME BACK FAILURES!" Agent One pushed up on his hands. Searing pain split the cheek in white hot pain. Cupping the cheek her winced. A fresh wound slit the cheek. Warm blood touch his palm.

"I would not label our venture a failure." Agent Two argued obstinately. After all the heavy lifting they had to do, he was going to fight back. He staggered to his feet, pressing his hands to the wall for balance. "There is a new development." The Contessa's brow arched. "She is a new member, but an old acquaintance of the Cooper Gang's. She's been their friend for the past eight going on nine years."

"Who is this member? And how is she associated?" The Contessa demanded.

"Her name is Alauna. Alauna Lea Parde." The Contessa's eyes widened.

"Who?" Agent One snapped. His cheek throbbed when he spoke.

"A bounty hunter of dangerous caliber. Remarkable aim, excellent sword play, and clever to boot."

"Of all the improbable, inconceivable, and inconveniences!" The Contessa roared, swatting a cup away. "How small is this world?"

"You know her?" The Injured Agent was surprised by The Contessa's amazement.

"That brat has been a pain in my backside ever since my Interpol days!" She reached around, caressing a tender spot on her back. "We exchanged blows several times, leaving our mark upon the other." The Contessa seemed to drift in her mind, regressing to a sour moment in her life. The wounded agents grew intrigued by her vulnerable state. It held hope that the stoic, infallible Countess of Death had a weakness. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't feed you to the Jackals!"

"Urgh!" Agent One ignored the wound on his cheek and jumped to his feet. "Because if it wasn't for me you'd be rotting in that prison of yours!"

"I was paroled, ignoramus!"

"Parole is not the same as freedom! Interpol strapped those bracelets to your bony wrists by the time I arrived."

The Contessa threw up a claw, "Next reason!" She commanded.

"Because Arpeggio and the boss will keelhaul your old ass!" Agent Two barked. The Contessa shoved a sharp foot in his neck, pressing the bone to the point of breaking.

"Do you truly think I fear higher ups that do not reveal themselves?"

"That is a marvelous denotement, Contessa old girl!" The Contessa went stiff as a statue hearing the British accent. Feared constricted her breath. Her heart pounded against her chest. When she finally managed to twist her back she dropped her foot and practically jumped out of her skin, staggering to the wall. A colorful parrot smiled menacingly at Contessa from the confines of a walking bird cage. "Good day, Lady Contessa." The two agents grinned behind their masks.

"A-Arpeggio! When-when did you-"

"Who do you think answered the flare?" He retorted snarkily. The Contessa hissed under her breath, curling inward at the presence of the bird. Any other time she would be shouting profanities at him, telling him to cease his inane hovering. However, until recent events, she's been biting her tongue. "Besides, My Dear, you should be a little more courteous and grateful to our friends here. Especially you…" The injured figure removed his hood. Long blond hair, wrapped in a black hair tie, fell neatly past the middle back. A pair of glasses added aesthetic to a pair of beady black eyes. A proud grin stretched lavender cheeks, and wriggled purple ears, "Penelope."

 **To be continued.**


	7. Breeze in The Desert

**Breeze**

 **in**

 **The Desert**

 **Moving on…**

…

Calculating the moon's position, accounting for the hours difference in the time zone - Nine at night crept up on the weary Cooper Gang. Murray's been driving non stop for the past three hours. Alauna and Bentley offered to take the wheel. He declined and insisted they get some sleep. Something about the two brains needing their rest. Brawn needed rest too. Impossible. Determination, and the fact that he downed ten more energy drinks, kept him going for the better part of those three hours. He'd be on the receiving end of amazed, yet disturbed, glances if everyone wasn't dead asleep. But he could feel the rush taking it's toll. He was crashing hard. Bags under the eyes, exhaustion numbing his muscles, the world blurring in and out. Little bumps jolted him awake briefly then sleep would envelop him again. It didn't help that the sand was soft. The van lost traction several times. While they were driving, it felt like the wheels were spinning in place only barely managing to get the van moving. Even at a hundred miles per hour the van must have been pushing 70.

"Murray..." He jerked awake. Alauna flinched, curling to the window. "Sorry."

"No...no..." He yawned, leaning back and forth in the driver's seat. "Isss ole..." He could barely keep his eyes open.

Alauna lightly turned the wheel, weaving the van past a boulder, three cacti, and what looked like ancient Egyptian hobos. She sighed in relief. Low snores vibrated her ear. Murray was fast asleep, hands still on the wheel. "Murray! Wake up!" She pinched his arm.

"YOUCH!" He jumped awake, jerking the van. Alauna threw her hands to the wheel, steadying the rampant ride. Thankfully Bentley and Carmelita didn't stir a wink. She released a relieved breath. She starting to recall how hazardous to her health the Cooper Gang is. Murray rubbed his tired eyes. He was too stubborn to admit how tired he was.

Alauna put a hand to his shoulder, gingerly coaxing him to relinquish the driver's seat. "Come on. Pull over." She urged tenderly, massaging his back. "Let me drive. You get some rest. We'll need you if anyone shows up." Murray had no strength left to argue. He pulled over, let Alauna in the driver's seat, and snuggled up in the passenger's seat. Alauna put a blanket over him, one over Carmelita, and the last on Bentley. _Hm. He always was cute when he slept._ She was gentle going into drive, then gradually picked up the speed.

Boulders passed by as the van sped through the desert. Three hyena guards emerged, grinning animally. One of the hyenas reached behind his back, pulling out a small walkie.

"We have them." He cackled. "They are heading for the Ruined Village."

…

"Roger that." Contessa intercepted their message. "Continue to follow them until they have the raccoon."

" _Yes, My Lady._ " The Contessa silenced the radio. _The Ruined Village._ She didn't understand why the Cooper Gang would be heading there. Or why Cooper would hideout there. _It's so barren cacti steer clear._ Her train of thought came to a grinding halt when the bangings of a hammer bounced off the stone walls.

Penelope was hard at work fixing the Mecha-Falcons. Carmelita and Alauna left them shambled messes. Nothing too serious for the one Carmelita shot. Couple of gears knocked loose and exposed wiring on one. The one Alauna hit, however, left much to be done. The antenna and internal processor needed to be fixed or else it would never fly again.

The Contessa hated waiting for those birds to be fixed, but they were vital for their advantage to remain in the lead. She ignored the banging and began thinking on something that had been bothering her. _Why didn't the Cooper's take Slytunkhamen?_ Clearly they arrived for Sly. But to not save the ancestor? _Perhaps he asked them not to._ An unnerving hum came from Arpeggio who decided to extend his stay in The Contessa's Prison. A prison she's claimed as her secondary palace.

Arpeggio was perched to the arm of a plush chair, drumming colorful feathers pensively on the tip of his beak. The mechanical cage he took pleasuring strolling about in was shut down in the corner. It was unlike his old cage. It wasn't even a cage. From the shoulders down it was just an avian exoskeleton. The back was shielded by firm metal plating. A four rocket engines seen in slots. Two downward, the others upward. Long hind legs, talons sharp enough to rip steal, a rib cage of finely edged blades, smooth edge - razor sharp - tail feathers, wings so wide and sharp they would only be fined grinding on rock, and a rocket pack on his back. Half an up sitting dome served as the head where Arpeggio prided being.

"Alauna...Lea Parde…" The name rolled off his tongue, like a taste he had long forgotten.

"You know her?" The Contessa remarked, creeping up on the distracted bird.

Arpeggio cleared his throat, erecting straight with his wings behind his back. "No-not...personally." He steadied his speech. "I know of her exploits. She is quite impressive for one so young."

The Contessa scoffed. "Impressive? Try a pain! That pathetic wretch has stolen suspects rightfully mine to line her pockets!"

"Have I mentioned I do not favor pots calling kettles black?"

"I don't care what you like! I don't even care that you've reared your ugly beak!" She bared her fangs hatefully, "I do not fear a revived CORPSE!"

"Technically - according to chrono-logics - I was never a corpse." Penelope strutted over, wrapping her arms lovingly around his small frame. "Thanks to the lovely Ms. Mouse here," He stroked her cheek, caressing soft locks of her lush hair, "My untimely demise was halted. So, as far as history is concerned, I am not a corpse. Least of all a revived one. Just a misbegotten flightless joke of fate."

The Contessa whipped around, leaning on the window sill overseeing the gorge's yard. "Joke is right." She whispered.

…

On the roof of the prison, overlooking the not remotely glorious view of the dry gorge, Penelope's associate hid in the solitude. Pulling off his full head mask, long, sheen, black hair rippled in the blowing wind. Hands tenderly reached in the chest of the suit, producing a silver wing pendant. Frayed edges showed where the sister half of the wing was broken. Traces of gold hid in the broken silver.

Tears trickled down a lavender cheek. "Allie…"

…

The time was falling on midnight. The moon was high, lighting up the vast desert, granting wolves the pleasure to sing to the night's magnificence. Alauna was glad everyone was sleeping peacefully, it gave her a chance to think.

Slytunkhamen was desperate - begging on his knees - for Alauna to find Sly and get him back to his own time. It made Alauna think, why would he want Sly to leave so urgently. Did he know what was really going on? Or could it be Slytunkhamen understands what Sly's presence in the past could mean?

As Alauna slipped further into deductions and theories, the van's hind swerved all of a sudden. Alauna veered the wheel hard, fighting to keep it under control. The jerking jolted Murray, Bentley, and Carmelita awake. The van's hind spun one way. Alauna turned the wheel opposite. Then it would sway the other. Murray, Carmelita, and Bentley were starting to get nauseatingly dizzy. Still half asleep they braced themselves, wanting to stop the world from spinning. Alauna managed to straightened out the van. The wheels sluggish drag found solid momentum, throwing the van into overdrive. It picked up speed almost immediately. 70 miles climbed to 100 then jumped to 200. Alauna and Murray was sucked into the seat. Carmelita and Bentley were thrown back, hitting the back doors hard.

"HIT THE BRAKES!" Carmelita shrieked. Alauna slammed them as hard as she could.

The van thrust forward, tossing Murray and Bentley. Loose sand pebbles slid the van wildly. An ear piercing screech hurt Alauna and Carmelita's ears. A tall slab of rock was approaching fast. Turning the van would total it. Everyone closed their eyes. The impact was coming. A protruding rock stopped a wheel. The van tipped forward then dropped. The engines died with a hiss. Alauna and Company collapsed, hearts beating harder than a drum. Anymore close vehicular calls and they were going to die from adrenaline induced heart attacks.

"Ugh...huh...huh..." Carmelita heaved, her whole body reduced to jelly by the adrenaline. She clawed her way to the front seats, grabbing a fistful of Alauna's hair as she pulled to her knees. Alauna was numb to hair pulls. She was numb period at the moment. Carmelita grasped her face, wrenching it sideways so she could see how enraged she was. "You...will...never drive...again."

"Deal."

Bentley shoved his chair out the back. He groaned dazed. Small tingles actually prickled his legs. He toppled head first into his chair, legs hanging over the back. Stars circled his head. "Fifth January...Topsy Turvy...day."

Alauna popped the door open. She threw the seatbelt off and tossed herself to the hard ground. She coughed dryly. Cool air filled her clenched lungs. Carmelita flipped onto her butt. Fresh relief soothed her rattling nerves. Solid, stagnate ground beneath her. The shock pistol left her hip.

Murray wobbled woozily, spinning on the ball of his foot, then collapsing. The night sky greeting his blurred vision. "Oh man. That was fun." He pat the ground. "Wish the ground was softer though."

Bentley's wheelchair remotely strolled to the down hippo's side. Bentley himself was still upside down, too rankled by rapidly pulsing nerves. Rubber wheels grounded grains of sand into the dried, cracked rock. "Interesting…" Bentley hummed. Retracing the van's trail, he discovered where the sand gradually solidified into coarse rock. Facing where the wind blew, dry heat graced his cheeks. "Alauna...Alauna!"

"HUH!" Her ears darted up. She twisted to Bentley.

"What did Slytunkhamen tell you? About finding Sly?"

"Oh. Um…" Maybe she shouldn't drive anymore. Her brain cells were depleting from all the close calls. "Go to palace...head north somewhere...go east…" She mentally summarized the conversation, recalling the more crucial information. "OH YEAH! Drive until the sand dries and look for the cool breeze in the desert heat!"

Carmelita knocked on the ground. "That's the driest sand I've ever seen." She licked a finger and held it to the air. "And that definitely is desert air."

"AWESOME!" Murray sprang to his feet. "Now we just need to look for a breeze and we'll find Sly." Suddenly unbearably hot air struck the hippo. A shower of sweat spilled down his brow. "Ugh...man. It's hot." He tugged at his collar.

Carmelita scanned the area. It boggled her mind. "Why would Slytunkhamen have a hideout so far out in the middle of nowhere?" Not in any direction was there signs of decent civilization. "Wouldn't it be hard to seek help or get necessary provisions?"

"Yes, but worth it to remain incognito." Alauna explained. "By living far away, Slytunkhamen can plan in secret and not fear being found by guards."

"Speaking from experience?" Carmelita raised a brow."

Alauna shrugged her hands, grinning impishly, "I have been known to camp 30 miles from my prospective target." Carmelita made a mental note. Alauna didn't care. She'd never be able to catch her if she was 3o feet away. She ran a foot over the loose grains. "But I'm certain Slytunkhamen has a means to make these living arrangement feasible. I doubt even he wandered hours through the desert for a few coins."

"We'll sort that out later." Bentley scoured the surface, searching for signs of...people. "Slytunkhamen guided us out here for a reason. There must be a clue to where Sly might be hiding."

"I think I found it." Murray announced.

"The breeze in the desert?"

"No," Murray was bracing a hand to the wall the van nearly crashed into, motioning for the others to come over, "The place Sly is hiding." The others peered around the wall.

Sticks and poles, in no better shape than used firewood, had difficulty remaining staked to the dried land. Cloth they fought to keep aloft dragged them down, weighing them closer to falling like other supports. The innocuous of dry breezes teased the tattered, flimsy cloth. The slightest of ripples unraveled inner weavings. Crumbling, dusty stone, worn and beaten by the trials of time, barely managing to maintain it's shape, combined to form decimated, small structures sticking out like the sorest of thumbs. Wooden beams steadily growing unable to keep half the buildings up were crippling. Buildings. That's a kind term. More like bits of clay formed by children and destroyed for sport.

"Whoa…" The group gawked, struck by astonishment and depression.

It was a village. Or what was left of it. Walking further in, the sound of the sand grinding beneath their boots - and wheels - sent goose bumps scaling their spines, bringing hairs on their neck to stand on end. Isolation gripped them. Eerie silence made their ears ring. Heartbroken moans of the wind passed through hollowed holes.

Carefully Murray peered inside the opened buildings. No breezes, but plenty of musty aromas. Bentley ran a Cooper Gene scan. The scan he created for Sly when locating Salim. Unfortunately the abundance of sand - and including the possibility of sandstorms - interfered. He couldn't get a read. Carmelita and Alauna scoured the village, keeping their eyes peered for stragglers. Sly was important. They can't risk hyenas or any guards finding them.

"What is this place?" Carmelita clenched a shaking hand to her pounding chest. "It's so…" She'd say dead, but feared Death himself would rear his ugly head.

"I believe this is the Ruined Village." Alauna answered hushedly.

"Ruined Village?" Murray asked.

Alauna glided the tips of her fingers over a broken wall, history flowing through her. It made her sigh sadly. "There is a tale many a Anthropologist, Linguist, and Historian come across. The first time I heard the story my heart broke."

 **Story**

 _A village home to alchemists and practitioners of unorthodox medicines - accumulated when a lone herbalist stumbled upon by accident - existed during this Era. It was named the Ruined Village by those who feared Alchemy and 'Modern' Medicine._

 _Rumors spread that they were ruining ways of life. By ruin, greedy nobles who profited from swindling poor, impressionable people found these more powerful and efficient ways damning to their social standing and status. The alchemists and herbalists were cast out miles - days - from civilization. No food, water, means of travel - nothing. Told, "Ruin life where there is none!"_

 _So they left without incident. Even without nothing they flourished. This village was once alive, dancing. But even happiness days from avarice and fear can still fall victim to those who are miserable._

 **Story end**

Carmelita swallowed, scared to ask. "What...what happened?"

Alauna's ears dropped. Tears glossed her eyes. "The Pharaoh had this village raided. Abducted everyone…" She turned away, "I'm sure you can surmise what happened next." Carmelita was sorry she asked. "Since then no one's come here. I'd wager its been forgotten. In the sense it wasn't thought of obsessively 24/7." Her sadness immediately shifted to unbridled joy, "The perfect place for an ambush."

"Huh?" Bentley and Murray's head tilted.

Alauna's pupils slit. She twirled a gun, spun the dial to 10%, aimed for a sheet just to the left and fired. The fiery bullet burned through. A deathly scream quaked the village. The bullet extinguished on a nearby rock. A hyena collapsed dead. A smoking hole searing his gut.. Murray, Carmelita, and Bentley were stunned. Carmelita gulped a nervous lump. Alauna twisted around, fortifying her stance, drawing her second revolver. She lowered the power to five. No sense in wasting good fire on insects. "I highly recommend the rest of you come out." Alauna's sharply glowering eyes demonically reflected the moon. "If I am forced to come search for you," She crooned, licking her lips with a devilish grin, "Let me assure you death by compact fire will be grandest of mercy I offer."

Carmelita faced another direction, aiming her pistol. Murray readied his fists. Bentley had bombs and darts primed to fire. That same eerie silence surrounded them. The hiss of the previously fired bullet crackled the air. One guard means another. Which means…

"We've been followed." Bentley growled.

"Not surprising." Murray rumbled silently. "What are the odds Contessa knows?"

"Too high for my taste." Carmelita snarled. She noticed a walkie near the dead hyena's head. "Look!" Carmelita screamed. "He has a walkie."

" _You fool!_ " The Contessa's voice knotted Carmelita." _I said not engage until-_ " Carmelita shot the walkie.

…

"Hello! HELLO!" The Contessa beat on the communication's device. Nothing but static responded to her shouts...and bangs. She ended up breaking the antenna. The speaker popped out. "DAMMIT!"

"Great!" Penelope threw her wrench and hands up in defeat. "Now I'll half to fix that."

"Nevermind your toys, you fool!" The Contessa stretched a commanding claw, "Find that maked friend of yours and get to the Ruined Village! I want the Cooper Gang, Inspector Fox, and Lea Parde groveling at my feet by morning!"

"Well luckily for you I ordered in a few more falcons from base." Penelope reported scathingly. "The boys are waiting outside and we'll be to that village within the hour."

"Make it half." The COntessa warned. "Because if you fail again, I will feed you to the scarabs!" Penelope rolled her eyes and left. No point in arguing with her.

"Contessa, dear, you really should be more courteous to the girl." Arpeggio chortled. "Threatening superiors does not increase productivity."

"She is not my superior!"

"Oh but she is." Arpeggio's lowering tone unnerved The Contessa. A dark shadow cast over his brow, intensifying his glare as he waddled closer to her. "Were it not for Penelope, you would never have escaped Italy." The Contessa gritted her teeth, glancing away shamefully. Small talons found her shoulder. A wing forced her head to meet Arpeggio. Deep cerulean eyes, anger amplified by the monocle, pierced the very recesses of her soul. "Predicting a full invasion is a difficult thing. Especially when Tear Gas blinds you. How fortuitous she arrived seconds before, isn't it?"

…

The walkie crackled with exposed electricity. Carmelita hissed. "That's not good! We need to hurry before-"

"It's too late." Bentley panicked. Carmelita gaped at him. Bentley's teeth grit, venomous hisses of defeat fuming. "He's already called in to Contessa! She knows we're here! We need to hurry before more guards come." He looked to Alauna. "Wrap this up quickly."

"Let them come…" Alauna's finger itched. Her bangs hid the hatred spilling from her eyes. "I'll kill anyone who gets in the way of finding Sly."

Bentley and Murray took their leave, scattering throughout the village. Carmelita covered Alauna's back, keeping her eyes peeled for attackers. Suddenly Alauna aimed at her. Carmelita moved to return fire. Alauna fire twice. Pure heat whisked past either side of Carmelita's head. Two screams diverted Carmelita's gaze. Two hyenas dropped. One more reared his ugly head to the right. Alauna shot him in the neck. Carmelita found herself growing more scared of Alauna. Whose whole demeanor changed. She wondered, _Why aren't Murray or Bentley bothered?_ They weren't even phased.

Rocks shuffling spiked Alauna's ears. She waited a moment. Footsteps hustled rapidly. Cloth flipped, rocks stumbled, heated breaths panted. Alauna bared her fangs. "I warned you not make me look for you!" Alauna fired through a window. Another hyena fell. A hole in his head. He gasped, seeing Alauna aim for him. She shot him in the head. "There's one more." A silhouette rose to a rooftop. The gleam of a blade was pinched between finger. Alauna twirled one gun and aimed for that roof. "Happy day!" The hyena froze. Alauna shot the knife out of his hand. The Hyena slipped, falling to his butt terrified. Alauna narrowed her eyes. "You've irritated me."

"No!" A shot fired. The Hyena's nose was blown clean off. He hit the ground behind the building, falling limp for vultures to pick at.

Alauna blew the steam off her barrels. "Faith and begorrah." Her eyes - her entire person - returned to normal. She was Alauna again. "What pitiful sentries."

Carmelita's mouth hung open, eyes quivering horrifyingly. Murray and Bentley simply went on their way looking for that ridiculous breeze in the unbearable heat. It was incomprehensible. How calm they were. Then Carmelita remembered. The Cooper Gang has known Alauna for over eight years. Been on jobs with her. They've seen her _shifts_ before. Carmelita's only dealt with Alauna a few number of times. This was a terrifying first experience.

"If you're frightened now, Carmelita," Alauna smirked darkly, adoring Carmelita's glued apprehension, "You should see me when I'm serious."

Carmelita staggered, caught off guard. "I...I'm not frightened! Don't flatter yourself!" She flinched when Alauna moved close to her face, her smirk widening.

"I never flatter, Ms. Fox." She leaned in closer, edging the fox back. "I speak from my heart at all times."

…

Murray turned several walls, only finding more wastrels of what was once a great village. He felt his heart breaking the further in he went. Dolls with their arms ripped, broken pottery.

"Glad I was born in the future." Murray groaned. Overwhelmed he sat on a circular brick slab in the middle of the village. He took in the village, wishing he could have seen it before the people were chased away. "Being hated for who you are. And to think I've been called immature for liking to fight." He leaned back on his hands, tilting his head to the sky. "Paris doesn't have this many stars." He closed his eyes. Cool air traveled his waist to his face. "And this cool breeze feels great. Wait a minute." _Cool breeze._ Murray stood. It grew hot all of a sudden. "Where did that breeze come from?" Murray floated his hands around, searching for the breeze. It came so suddenly. "Huh?" The closer he moved to the rock he sat on, the cooler the air. Streams of air graced his fingers. Kneeling down he pressed his face to the rock. He wasn't crazy. A blast of air was escaping. "GUYS! GUYS! I FOUND IT! I FOUND THE BREEZE!"

…

Bentley's wheelchair hands hoisted a cauldron over his head. Spiders and scarabs scurried for hiding. "Ew." A spider lowered on a thin line from the cauldron, crawled down Bentley's chair, and disappeared beneath a rock. Bentley shuddered. "I wonder if Alauna still hates bugs."

"GUYS! GUYS! I FOUND IT!" Bentley faced Murray's screaming.

…

"I FOUND THE BREEZE!" Alauna and Carmelita glanced upward hearing him scream. "I FOUND THE BREEZE IN THE DESERT!" The two girls gasped and ran for him.

…

Murray pushed the top half of the rock with all his might, digging little trenches in the ground. The trio came up behind him, curious of the screaming. "The breeze is coming from the rock!" He strained. "HELP ME!" Alauna went beside him. Carmelita and Bentley pulled from the other side. Caked rock chipped. The rock jerked a centimeter each push. Alauna jabbed her short sword in the appearing crease, loosening more rock. The rock twisted a ways off. A powerful gust of air starled Murray. Immense strength filled his muscles and he eventually pushed the rock off, revealing a dried up well. Wind howled from the well. A cool breeze. Just as Slytunkhamen said.

"Wow…" Murray basked in the wind. "This feels great."

"How is this possible?" Alauna beamed amazed.

"There must be tunnels down there." Bentley surmised. "Narrow tunnels increase wind speed, combine the darkness, make for a cool wind effect."

"That's nice, Bentley." Carmelita remarked sarcastically. "But none of that tells us if Sly's down there." Carmelita climbed to the ledge. "Come on!" She jumped.

"No! Wait!" Bentley grabbed her by the skirt too late. Carmelita dropped in the hole, dragging Bentley with her.

"HEY! WAIT FOR ME!" Murray cannonballed. Alauna shrugged, plugged her nose, and jumped in.

The sudden drop curved to a slope. What looked like rough rock was actually smooth. Moisture clung to the clothing. Carmelita tumbled headfirst, sliding on her stomach, riding the walls, crying out as speed caught up. Bentley rode the spiraling tunnel, rolling over the ceiling and walls. Murray and Alauna bounced off every sharp turn, hitting each other and whatever else was there painfully hard.

"SOMEBODY STOP THIS CRAZY RIDE!" Carmelita screamed, shielding her eyes.

…

A dark hole was nestled a ways off the ground in a damp cave.

"AHH!"

"GYAH!"

"WHOA!"

"AWESOME!"

 _CRASH! SPLASH!_ The tunnel ride came to a startling end, leaving the Cooper Gang flying and crash landing roughly to stable, steady ground. However there was the feeling they were still being tossed around like salad. Carmelita groaned, rolling of a stack of hay. Bentley sprouted from broken pottery. Alauna lied defeated in a water trough. Murray floated in a reservoir, pumping water like a fountain.

"Ugh...no more please…" Alauna begged, slipping to the neck in the water. She shot a growl at Carmelita who was picking hay out of her hair. "How the Bloody Hell did you make detective when you're such a moron?"

"Excuse me, Pussycat!" Carmelita stormed over, shaking loose straggling hay. "You got something you wanna say?"

"More than something!" Alauna pulled out of the trough, dripping wet. "First you allow yourself to be caught by Contessa, now you're jumping headfirst into tunnels you hold no inkling of what's at the bottom!"

"All those years of being shot at must have dulled your head! Slytunkhamen led us here! Why would there be traps?"

"Not traps, Harpy! Scarabs!" She pointed toward the surface. "The holes in those rocks we used were made by a type of scarab called Miner Beetles! These too!" Small to large holes moaned with condensed wind. Bentley wondered where they all led. "They eat rock as well as flesh!"

"Well," Carmelita spread her arms sardonically, kicking the ground, "No scarabs! So what's your problem?"

"My problem, INSPECTOR, is you're going to get us killed if you don't keep your head on straight!"

"Don't talk me about my head, HUNTER! You're the one with a bipolar disorder!"

"A bipolar disorder that saved their lives countless times!" Murray and Bentley kept far back this time. But waved back when Alauna pointed to them. "I don't have the luxury of wasting brain cells arguing with a single minded witch! I'm here for Sly! Not so you can try and amend the mistake YOU made!" Carmelita bit her tongue, growling in the back of her throat. "So where do we go from here?" She asked the other two.

"We go down." Bentley directed them to the wide spiraling, narrow ledge leading further down. None of them noticed at first, but the cave was _bright_ for being underground. Tarches hung on either side of the wall. Peering down, Bentley saw several torches lighting the way. "Come on." Bentley took the lead. The ledge, luckily, was wide enough for his chair. Alauna followed, then Murray, and Carmelita brought up the rear.

…

A mouse nibbled on a small, dehydrated rice grain. Silently a cobra crept behind it. As it bared its fangs three winged shadows passed overhead. The cobra and mouse paused, then retreated beneath rocks. Three mechanical falcons circled the Ruined Village. Ropes were tossed over. Gator and Badger guards, one hand to the ropes, flew down. Their feet like thunder touching down.

"There is the horseless wagon." A gator whispered. He placed a hand to the hood. "Very warm. They have not been gone long." He knew nothing of the marvel of ingenuity. But if a bonfire is still hot the ignitor was not far.

"Where could they have gone?" One of the badgers hummed. Another badger motioned for the others to look ahead. A circular slab rested against an old well. Approaching they felt a powerful breeze. "Could this be…"

"Only one way to find out." Sharp teeth split the gator's lips in a cruel grin.

…

The Cooper Gang must have walked half a mile deeper. Very unsettling given they were walking several hundred feet below the surface. Scarabs, snakes, mole-rats - the creatures which created the massive holes allowing pleasant breezes of air to flow were both astounded and frightening. There was a sense of impending doom the further down they went. Being buried alive isn't how any of them planned to depart the world.

Coming to the end of the slope, a black tunnel greeted the weary gang. Bentley switched on headlights on the arms of his chair. The tunnel was empty, but the group remained on guard. Rabid mole-rats could jump out at them any second. Hugging either side the four skulked the cave. Alauna drew her short blade. Carmelita had her shock pistol ready. Murray tightened his fists.

Two torches were lit at the end of the tunnel. Enough ambient light to see the rest of the way. Bentley switched off the lights and picked up the pace. When they finally made it to the exit, the four peered around the corners. They were struck with awe. The narrow tunnel spanned into a massive inner cave. Complete with connected ceiling and floor spikes, underwater reservoirs, and some form of fungus on the walls. But that wasn't what amazed them. The huge holes that had been sparking their interest paled to the structures they were ogling. Solid blocks of stone finely crafted into numerous hovels escalating atop one another. A few were accessible by slopes and ledges. Clearly the cave village was man made. Tool marks riddled the walls extensively.

"This...is...amazing…" Alauna subconsciously walked in, lost in her daydream, "Nothing in the record books ever spoke of a village beneath the surface." She took out her binocucom and took several photos. She made sure to include photos of the pottery and connected tunnels. She giggled excitedly. "I'll go down in history for sure!"

"Glad to see you're excited." Bentley mocked her playfully.

"Do forgive me!" Alauna touched her blushing cheek. "It's the minor historian within me."

Shuffling in one of the hovels silenced Alauna's giggling. Bentley, Murray, and Carmelita were completely still. Not so much as a breath escaped they were on pins and needles. An orange light was moving irregularly inside the hovel in front of them. Carmelita's heart skipped a beat. She wanted to reach for her pistol. A shadow moved across the wall. Someone was inside. No one moved, but they stood ready to draw their weapons. The worn wooden door popped loose. Hinges creaked chillingly. Bentley and Alauna swallowed. Murray was sweating. A sandaled foot stepped out. Dirt scuffed an egyptian skirt. Matted, unkempt grey fur hiding emaciated skin entered the light. Alauna and Murray opened their mouths and widened their eyes. A ringtail wagged off dust while a scrawny arm wiped dirt from a black patch of facial hair. Bentley and Carmelita felt the world halt. Tears forming to the corners of their eyes. When the figure noticed them, he only smiled as if nothing were out of place.

"Sly…?" Carmelita's voice cracked.

Sly raised a hand, waving with the widest, warmest smile he could muster with sunken cheeks. "Hey guys. What took you so long?"

 **To be continued**


	8. Plan of attack

**Plan of attack**

 **Hey guys. Miss me? Just finishing other fics I have. Finally finished one I'd been writing for a few years.**

 **Let's get a move on.**

 **Recap -**

 _ **S ly's been missing for the better part of a year. Six months. Alauna - Bounty Hunter, Linguist, historian, and old friend of the Cooper Gang - discovered a message and called Bentley, bringing the cooper gang and Carmelita to Cairo where they rocketed off to 1300 BC Egypt.**_

 _ **The Contessa was discovered to be the Lady Vizier to the corrupt Pharaoh Pardelaytra. Unfortunately her position pales to the mysterious tyrant lurking in the shadows using the revived Arpeggio as a mouthpiece. Penelope, now arm candy for Arpeggio, flaunts her position, reminding Contessa that it's because of her Contessa isn't rotting in prison.**_

 _ **Slytunkhamen willingly replaced Sly and is currently taking beatings to protect him. He begged Alauna to find Sly and go home, but she knew Sly would sooner lose his cane than leave a family member to suffer at the claws of Contessa.**_

 _ **After days of searching, The Cooper Gang has found Sly in the well of the "Ruined Village." A shame their reunion will not be happy for too long.**_

 _ **-A badger motioned for the others to look ahead. A circular slab rested against an old well. Approaching they felt a powerful breeze. "Could this be…"-**_

 _ **-"Only one way to find out." Sharp teeth split the gator's lips in a cruel grin.-**_

…

"YAAAHHH!" _SPLASH!_ The last badger crash landed in a water trough. He sputtered water dazedly. "I'm okay. I'm good." Friends huddled close to help him out.

The leading gator shook his head annoyed. Straw was stuck to his behind. It's only funny to fall for the same drop until everyone does it. Including you. All his irritation vanished when he examined the cavern. It boggled his mind. A place like this below a village of late parasites. Raising the lantern toward the dimly lit cavern, he was shocked to see a pit ahead. Peering over, there was a narrow passage circling to the abyss of the pit. Torches lit the way.

"On your feet, slugs! They went this way!"

"What makes you so sure?" Gator 2 challenged.

"Do you see any other way they could have gone?" Gator 2 actually looked around, settling on the way they came. The Gator Leader hammered the butt of his sword on his dumb friends head. "The stone is too slick! Imbecile! NOW GET!" He grabbed Gator 2 by the collar and shoved him on the path. He scrambled when half his body hung over, plastering himself to the wall. His knobby knees knocked. A little yodel-lay-ee-hoo for the frightening drop. "Get going! Or do you want to inform the Lady Vizier was lost them in a ditch?" Gator, badger, gator, badger - the guards filed hurriedly down the path. The leading Gator brought up the rear.

…

 **(Alauna POV)**

 _We just stood there. Gawking like morons._ _Alauna, Bentley, Carmelita, and Murray with their jaws wide open, blinking in utter disbelief._ _We faced gators, badgers, risked damaging the time stream, all to find Sly and bring him home. Yet now that we've found him,_ _Sly waves impishly,_ _we're more surprised than happy. Don't get me wrong we were overjoyed. I guess...because of being fooled by Slytunkhamen...despite what we had to go through, finding Sly was too easy. We were scared it wasn't him. Carmelita and I were terrified. Our hearts couldn't take it if the person before us wasn't our Sly. The fact that he was expecting us should have told us it was him. But we had doubts._

 _Murray stretches Sly's arms out, pokes him, studies him, sniffs him. Not convinced he was looking at Sly. Bentley ran a full scan over him. It registered him as a Cooper. For all he knew it could be Slytunkhamen I. Alauna and Carmelita aimed their guns, bearing their teeth in demand the figure kept still. Sly raised his hands, rolling his eyes._ _Realizing we held doubts, Sly reached into the skirt and pulled out three photos._ _The group lowered their were photos of us._ _One when the four of us had our first mission together, the middle of the boys when they stole that watch back from Muggshot, and the last was of Sly kissing Carmelita's cheek._

 _It was him._ _Tears leaked from their eyes. Carmelita and Alauna covered their_ _mouths. __It was Sly!_ _Bentley_ _tilted his hat down. Murray nibbled on his knuckles._ _It was really Sly! We found him!_ _Murray runs over and crushes Sly in a massive bear hug._ _No words began to describe how happy we were! We were in tears we were so happy!_ _Bentley wheeled over, throwing his arms around the dizzy Sly. He shook off the dizziness and pet Bentley's head._ _After six months we found him._ _Alauna warily approaches, admiring how much and how little Sly changed. Sly smiles warmly, opening his arms. The two join in a warm hug._ _It was harder not to cry when Sly admitted he wasn't surprised to see us. Not even me. He knew we'd come. He knew we would find him._ _Carmelita too star struck to move. Still unable to believe Sly was in front o_ _f_ _her._ _This was our ringtail._ _Sly_ _moved in close, planting a warm kiss on her lips. Carmelita's eyes turned to falls as she wraps her arms to him, and his to her, both deepening the kiss._ _And now we just needed to get him back home. After, no doubt, we cook up a plan to save Slytunkhamen._

 _What? I promised we'd get Sly home. I never said we wouldn't try and free Ahmen before leaving. Besides, Sly would never let us leave knowing Ahmen was in danger. Or that Contessa was lingering._

…

"Sly…" Carmelita dusted his cheeks. It bothered her in the shape Sly was in. But she wasn't going to be choosy. He was there. She was holding him. "I'm sorry, Sly! Sorry for everything!"

"Whoa! Hey, I already forgave you, remember?" He tilted her chin. "I did lie to you."

"That doesn't change the fact that I-" Sly stopped her self loathing with another kiss. She gaped with dumbstruck, slowly melting in the kiss.

When Sly broke the kiss, he tucked strands of her hair behind her ear. "That's better." Carmelita touched her lips. Tears overflowing with joy trickled to her chin.

"SLY! SLY! SLY! SLY!" Murray crushed Sly in a signature hug. Bentley, Carmelita, and Alauna cringed when hearing Sly's bones crack. "Oh, buddy, I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, pal!" Sly heaved, feeling his head about to burst. "BUT I CAN'T BREATHE!"

"Oh! Uh! Sorry..." Murray put him down. Sly choked taking in much needed air. Murray's pro wrestling tournaments gave him strength he'd yet to gain control over. Sly straightened out his crinkled limbs, snapping bones back in place. "I'm just so happy to see you, Sly. We thought...well..." The moment was happy. He didn't want to ruin it.

"I know, Murray." Sly rubbed his shoulder. "I thought I'd never see you guys too." He flashed a loving smile to Carmelita who blushed, folding her hands behind her back. Bentley rolled up, fist bumping Sly. "Never thought I'd see you, either!" Alauna jerked her hair back haughtily. "Alauna Lea Parde as I live and breathe."

Alauna saluted two fingers, leaning against the chasm wall. "Sly Cooper. Still head deep in trouble." They exchanged their own little hand clap shakes. "Having an island blow up around you wasn't enough? You had to get lost in time?"

"What can I say? I love the people here."

"And they love you, apparently." She pinched a piece of his matted fur. "You never cease to amaze me."

"I'm actually a little surprised you're here." He admitted. "Were you the one..."

"Yes and I discovered where you get your horrible penmanship from." She joked. Sly chuckled bashfully. "To be honest, I thought it was horrible prank. Bentley told me about your last Time Travel Escapade. But I never believed it until now." Murray and Bentley chalked it up as another win for them. Alauna hugged her elbows. Rolling her gaze over Sly's form, it brought a tear to her eye. "It really is good to see you, Sly."

"I missed you too, Allie." The two wrapped their arms to one another in a warm hug. Bentley and Carmelita cleared their throat. Their cheeks flushed angrily as Sly and Alauna prolonged their hug. "Gotta say, you look good." Unable to take anymore, Bentley wheeled to the cave to _inspect_ its stability.

"And you look like a worn out pelt." She dusted him off. Sly's fur sickly hugged his rib cage. His whole face was sunken too. No muscle tone in his emaciated form. Wearing Slytunkhamen's clothes, he looked as if the wind had been beaten out of him. "What happened to you?"

"That's one long story that ends with me having to hide in this hole for the last two weeks."

It wasn't so bad. Freshwater, natural AC, food to last him for a while. None of that helped him rescue Slytunkhamen. Or got him back home. No one blamed him for hiding out. The Contessa had an army behind her. An army loaded to the teeth with present day tech. No one would stand a chance on their own. Least of all without Bentley.

"That story's going to have to wait." Bentley returned to the main cavern. He was whimpering, looking greener than before.

"Everything okay, Bentley?" Murray asked him.

"Define _okay_ , hippo." A scimitar pressed under Bentley's neck. Bentley threw his hands up. The Gator Leader emerged from the shadows with a triumphant toothy grin. "Greetings. The Cooper Gang, correct?" Carmelita and Alauna locked their guns. Murray threw himself in front of Sly, fists raised and ready to scrap. "Not another move!" He jerked Bentley close. The sword pressed harder to his neck. "Or I spill the turtle's blood." Murray, Carmelita, and Alauna grit their teeth. One clean shot was all it took. Carmelita and Alauna lowered their guns. Murray brought his fists to stomach height. "There's a good little rabble." He snapped his fingers. Badgers and Gators hustled inside with their scimitars drawn, surrounding Sly and the others in seconds. "Well, well, well. Sly Cooper. The resemblance between you and Slytunkhamen is uncanny. No wonder the others confused you two."

"That's a little harsh. I'm definitely the more debonair looking." He slicked back his hair. The others, including Bentley, couldn't resist rolling their eyes. There was no doubt that was Sly now.

"We have them." One of the Badgers touched the ear wig. Undoubtedly to the Contessa. After the previous debacle with the radio, the badger was taking no chances in their communications being heard. "We will be bringing them topside momentarily."

…

"Good. Keep them there until I arrive." It wasn't the Contessa who answered. It was Penelope, flying her Mecha Falcon high over the night consumed desert. "No screw ups. We take the Cooper Gang back alive." She ended the call. A sinister grin split her face. "Soon, Cooper, you'll watch your family history crumble."

 **...**

The Contessa is topside? In the condition Sly was in they'd never be able to fight their way out. If they were thrown at her feet now it's all over. Alauna, Murray, and Carmelita squared off in different directions, daring any one of those guards to move closer. "Now, now, my friends. You may want to lower your weapons. I'd hate for any of you to get hurt." The Gator Leader jerked the sword.

Bentley let out a small yelp that pinched Alauna's heart. A thin trail of blood ran along the scimitar's blade. Alauna's pupil slit. A guttural, feline growl vibrated her throat. "GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HIM!" She turned her gun's dial to the highest setting, aiming straight for the Gator's head.

"Please, friends. The turtle implores you." Bentley shook his head and winked. The others looked at him confusedly. Bentley shaped a gun with his fingers, curling the middle one in a prepared to fire gesture. The mech arms in his chair slightly poked out. Carmelita and Alauna nodded. They kept their guns low but with their fingers curled to the trigger. Alauna decreased the dial. "Well! What's it going to be?" The Gator leader huffed. The arms slithered low behind the chair. They moved in close and wiggled on the Gator's ribs. "PAH-HAHA-HAHA-HA-STOP IT! HOO-HOO! STOP THAT!" The scimitar fell as he went into a fit at the mercy of the tickling.

"NOW!" Bentley howled. Murray pushed Sly and ducked. Carmelita and Alauna twisted, firing on guards opposite each other. One by one they dropped.

Bentley had the Gator Leader on the ground. He sped out of the way. The Gator wheezed as he fought to breathe. He definitely stopped when the girls had guns on him. "Umm…I surrender?" Carmelita and Alauna exchanged deadpanned glares. The Gator chuckled weakly. Carmelita and Alauna hoisted him up by the collar then droves fists right in his face, rendering him unconscious.

"Wow. You two haven't lost your touch." Sly commended.

"Thank you." They bowed.

Bentley grabbed the odd walkie radio. He'd be able to use that to monitor communications between The Contessa and her goons. Unfortunately that still left them with two more problems. Guards waited for them on the surface and there was no way out of the cavern. Actually there were four problems if you include the van being left at the entrance and Sly's poor health.

"Please tell me there's a back door." Bentley whimpered.

"I can do you one better. There's a second hideout not far from here. And it has a tunnel that leads in and out of the city." That had to have been the best plan B anyone had heard all day. "Unfortunately…" The mood was killed when Sly pointed up, "We gotta go that way to get to it."

"We gotta go that way anyway!" Murray boomed. "The van is up there!"

"Past the guards waiting for us?" Carmelita questioned.

Luckily, Bentley had a plan. He rifled through his bag of goodies, finding a flash bomb at the bottom. "Carmelita, how high of a charge does that shock pistol have?"

"30 amps?"

"Perfect..."

 **...**

"Grr..." A badger circled the well dozens of times, muttering angrily under his breath. Two gators flicked a small tumbleweed back and forth. A couple hyenas slept back to back. "I'M SICK OF THIS WAITING!" The badger startled everyone. "How long does it take to round up miscreants?"

"That gang must be resisting." A Gator proposed, flicking the weed at his friends head. "Calm yourself. We will be signaled when our assistance is needed."

"Try telling that to Lady Contessa when they escape." The badger dared. "She'll have your hide."

"I'm more concerned about that mouse lady." The hyena shuddered. "The way she looks at you. It's the same when she rebuilt our mech falcons from scratch."

"Yeah..." The second hyena shivered. "Blemishing the metal with that focused heat. Then grinning at you while she does it." The two hugged, whimpering in fear.

Scuffling feet were heard climbing the bottomless well. The lazing guards gathered around, watering at the mouth in anticipation of breaking the Cooper before delivering him to The Contessa. There was click. Beeps followed afterward. A strange red dot flicking on and off in the darkness.

"What...is...that?" All the guards leaned in closer, and closer. The dot rose. The guards jerked their heads up, following a ball in the air. Condensed electricity launched and struck the ball. A blinding flash coupled with constricting electrical streams consumed the whole area. Loud thuds hit the ground.

"GO!" Scuffling feet ran across the dirt. "Ooh this will come in handy." Doors were opened and slammed hard. The van's engine fired up. The tires screeched as the revving gradually faded. When the flash cleared, all the guards dropped the guards like rocks, petrified with blank white eyes and their mouths gaped open.

Thick clouds of dust washed over the lifeless forms as a lone Mecha Falcon mounted on a waning stone wall. Impressively it held its own against the heavy metal. Claws boring into the crumbling etchings. The chest opened, letting Penelope dismount unto the travesty before her. Heavily armed, elite trained guards all down for the count. She ground her teeth, growling venomously and kicking dirt.

"DAMN THEM! THEY'RE LIKE COCKROACHES!" She kicked a seemingly dead guard. "GRR...I SWEAR!" She huffed quickly, forcing herself to calm down as she tried to think. Bolstering her superiority to Contessa probably wasn't the smartest idea before having the Cooper in hand. She needed a ringer of a Plan B. Pressing her fingers to her throbbing forehead, she ran scenario after scenario as to how she could recover. That's when Slytunkhamen came to mind. "Ooh-hoo-hoo…" She rubbed her gloved palms together. "This is going to be good."

…

 **(Sly POV)**

 _Murray drove like he's never driven before!_ _Alauna, Bentley, Carmelita, and Sly all braced themselves on the bumpy ride._ _We couldn't get far enough from the village. The sense we were being hunted down loomed over us like an ominous cloud._ _Sees huge flash dome covering the Ruined Village. The horizon swallowing the village as they got farther away._ _As we crossed the desert dunes, the air started to tone down. We looked at each other...then burst into laughter._ _Alauna and Murray leaning against the windows, holding their heads and stomachs. Sly and Carmelita pressed to each other's shoulder, crying they were laughing so hard. Bentley pounded the seat in a futile effort to stop laughing._ _It was like a party. Man I can't remember the last time I laughed like this. It's nice._

 _When we arrived at Slytunkhamen's other hideout, a trap door hidden beneath sand amongst tall dunes leading to a spacious, well maintained hovel, I immediately gave everyone the low down on what had been happening. __Murray snacking on pastries in anticipation of the exciting tale._

 _I arrived in Egypt four months ago. The ride here left a painful imprint._ _Sly was swept through the vortex, tossed like a doll in a dryer._ _Electricity constricted my veins. Pressure from every direction crushed me. I couldn't tell if I was being tossed back or forth._ _Something breaks in Sly, and he starts to fall limp. Then everything went black._ _My body went cold. I was going to die at the hands of time and space. The irony._

 _A camel licks his face. Sly winces, grossed out by the saliva._ _I woke up in the middle of the desert, outside of this weird jackal headed structure. Decrepit stone. But it was still in better shape than I was. Gelatin had more muscle mass._ _He shielded the sun. The heat brought beads of sweat to his fur. The camel spit made him feel sticky._ _To my surprise – and eternal salvation - another raccoon emerged, carrying an empty sack. I recognized him from the Thievius Raccoonus. Slytunkhamen had come walking out of it. Though he looked much older._

 _Slytunkhamen sees Sly. Squints to make sure he's not hallucinating._ _At first I was confused._ _Sly waved nervously to Slytunkhamen. The ancestor frowned._ _But then I remembered being caught in Le Paradox's time machine. Seeing Slytunkhamen, it told me I must have been in ancient Egypt._ _Sly face palmed himself, groaning in dread._ _Time travel suddenly lost it's charm._

 _I was going to get the introductions out of the way._ _In a fury, Slytunkhamen drew his dual sickle canes. Sly raised his hands in surrender as the canes were crossed at his neck._ _But I could see he wasn't the type for words. Least of all with someone dressed in future dated clothing._ _Slytunkhamen growled venomously. He reconsidered skewering the raccoon seeing the desperation pouring from his eyes._ _Somehow..._ _Pushes sickles back with one finger only to have them shoved back in his face,_ _this guy was still more low maintenance than Galleth. Slytunkhamen told me I had five seconds before I became food for the vultures. I told him I wish I could explain, but not even he would believe me. But for the sake of his sanity – and my health – I took a long shot and explained._

 _Sly expediently elucidated his predicament, telling Slytunkhamen story after story of what happened. Scrolls of the scenarios glided by the confused yet in awe raccoon._ _He was kind enough to listen. I'm just glad he hadn't noticed my five seconds ended over an hour ago._ _Slytunkhamen blinked in confusion. Question marks popped around his head and the distinct sounds of a ticking clock ticked in the background._ _Eventually…_ _A timer's ding tolled,_ _He settled for me being a mystical priest with power over time and space. To him that sounded less ridiculous. I took it. It at least got his sickle canes out of my face._ _Sly exhaled in relief._ _It was then he offered to let me stay with him, at least until I found a way back home. Which was the problem._ _Sly looked to the sun glazed sky._ _I had no idea how I was going to get back home._

 _In Slytunkhamen's hovel of a hideout. Slytunkhamen polished his sickles while Sly pondered his situation._ _I tried to contact you guys with the binocucom and ear com._ _The microphone screeched. Sly winced and pulled the ear com from his ear._ _Nothing but static. There was nothing from that blimp that came through with me. Without your tech, Bentley, or Le Paradox's machine, I was stuck in the past. I could have altered something in order to send out a signal. But I…well…didn't want to risk turning life into one of those bad time paradox TV specials. You know. The ones where you move a pebble and suddenly Al Gore becomes the USA's president._

 _So, running out of ideas,_ _Sly sighed heavily in dismay, leaning against the wooden chair,_ _I decided to bide my time and take in a little of my Egyptian heritage._ _Slytunkhamen gave Sly a cloak to dawn. His clothing may have been odd, but they have had strangely dressed figures appear in Egypt once before._ _Slytunkhamen taught me all about the trade business involved in purchasing items. He even took me to camel races. And of course we had our 'night on the town.' Taking money the corrupt Pharaoh acquired was more fun than dodging Interpol. Well…Almost. After a while, I started to adapt. I was palling around with my Egyptian Ancestor. For the first time in years…I felt complete. Absolutely happy. The void my father left was being filled. That happiness was ruined in a matter of seconds._

 _Four weeks ago, the corrupt Pharaoh we stole from had received a new Vizier. A Lady Vizier. She sent many of her lackeys into the city, rounding up petty thieves and terrorizing the populace._ _Helpless people scrambled throughout the town, screaming in horror as the Honey Badgers chased after them. Gator guards subdued children and the elderly. The hyena's pummeled the resisting men. Unable to stand by any longer, Sly and Slytunkhamen appeared from overhead. Their canes drawn._ _Slytunkhamen and I thwarted them as best as we could._ _The two coopers threw the menaces into a disposal bin, patting their hands with pleased grins._ _We definitely caused a stir in the palace._ _The pharaoh growled in outrage, slamming a fist into his balcony stone rail. The city he claimed echoing with cheers at his expense._

 _Two weeks later, the Lady Vizier decided to come and parade herself around the town._ _A sedan chair with curtain drawn was carried down the streets._ _Slytunkhamen and I wanted to see for ourselves what sort of coward would terrorize innocent people, and then have the gall to parade themselves like a hero._ _Cloaks on their heads, Sly and Slytunkhamen merged in with the forced to attend crowd. They watched heatedly as the Lady Vizier waved from beyond the curtain._ _It sickened me that she had the nerve to hide behind guards. Now she was hiding behind a curtain!_ _Sly picked up a rock. Slytunkhamen tried, too late, to stop him. Sly threw it at one of the gators carrying the sedan. The gator dropped his end of the sedan. The other four lost their grips. The lady vizier came tumbling out. Stifled laughter rumbled._

 _That's when I saw it. I couldn't believe it. The new Vizier the Pharaoh had hired was…The Contessa. Slytunkhamen asked who she was and how I knew her. When I told him who she was, he started to buy my time travel story lock, stock, and crazy._

 _The Contessa growled in outrage, boring her rage filled gaze into the chortling crowd. Everyone silenced themselves. She scanned the crowd, looking for the guilty party._ _She spotted me in the crowd, ordered for my arrest._ _Guards gathered around._ _Slytunkhamen dragged me out of there, but he knew we'd never make it back to the hideout. Not with the number of goons on us._ _Guards ran right by where Sly and Slytunkhamen were hiding._ _And even if we did, it was only a matter of time before we were found._ _Slytunkhamen slapped a fist into his palm, a plan coming to mind._ _So he came up with a plan._ _He and Sly climbed into a merchant's stand. He drew the curtain closed, and then drew it back open._ _Switch our clothing._ _Sly flexed in the Egyptian clothing. He looked good._ _The guards wanted me. So Slytunkhamen was going to give them me._ _Sly waved his hands in protest, pleading for Slytunkhamen not to do this. Slytunkhamen put his hands to Sly's shoulders and edged him back, smiling in assurance._ _He gave me some directions. He told me to stay there. That he knew of a way to get my message out. Then he ran off into the opposite direction._ _Sly tried to go after him._ _The guards chased after him,_ _Sly slumped somberly_ _, while I made my escape to his hideout here in Ruined Village. I didn't know what Slytunkhamen had planned. And for two weeks I didn't know where he was. I hadn't returned to the city because the level of security was too thick. And it was too risky to ask for help. For the first time in my life...I had no plan. Man. Without the guys, I really was helpless. Not to say I couldn't survive on my own. But obviously I wouldn't last long._

 _But that was in the past!_ _Slams hands on table, gaining the full attention of his friends._ _Not only did I have my team by me, I now know where Slytunkhamen has been this whole time and that The Contessa may not be the only time traveling fiend behind the curtain. We have to save Slytunkhamen._

 _Alauna made a point to tell me she swore to Slytunkhamen she'd find me and get me back home. She was a girl of her word._ _Sly lost wind in his sails. Alauna rested a hand to his shoulder and winked._ _However she never said when she'd take me back home. If we happened to save Slytunkhamen along the way,_ _Alauna shrugged feigning innocence,_ _Who is she to complain._ _Sly nods and digs through pile of wood, uncovering tightly wrapped tattered cloth._ _The time has come to act._ _Unwraps to reveal his Cooper Cane._ _My ancestors were in danger again,_ _Throws away Egyptian garb,_ _and it's high time I boot The Contessa,_ _Alauna, Murray, Bentley, and Carmelita hand him his original gear,_ _and anyone else threatening my family back to the present._ _Sly twirled his cane, puffing his chest in a stance._ _And with my team - no - with my friends by my side,_ _Murray cracks his knuckles, Bentley readies his dart gun, Carmelita locks and loads her gun, and Alauna grasps the hilts of her gun and sword,_ _I can't fail._

…

"Alright! It's done!" Bentley cheered. By the drowsy groans in response to his glee, everyone was startled from a dead sleep. Yawns replied to Bentley's gremlin cackles. His little fingers dancing on his laptop. Carmelita hissed when she opened the hatch to be greeted by blinding midday light. They slept the rest of the night and most of the day. She could sleep until tomorrow if they left her.

"What's done, Brain?" Alauna yawned, sliding out from under the table near his wheelchair.

"Remember that douser program I ran yesterday?" Sly's bewildered expression prompted him to explain. "There were metal falcons using hydraulic fluid and I used a program I invented to trace and track it to its source." Sly threw his head up, getting where he was going. "Anyway the program finish some time before we arrived at the village, and I discovered something very interesting. Something the confirms what we've been suspecting."

"That The Contessa somehow got her claws on a time machine." Sly remarked sarcastically.

"That, and that there is a whole mess of mechanical falcons located in - duh-da-da-daah," He spun the computer, revealing a map to his anxious friends, "The heart of Melistan. More accurately..." He zoomed in to the full setting, "Beneath the Pharaoh's Palace."

"What?" Carmelita shrieked.

"No way!" Murray snarled.

"How do you know there's a whole mess?" Alauna scuffled to Bentley's side when he about faced the computer.

"I pawned this off the cockpit of one of the falcons." A USB wire connect the laptop to a grid device. "This little beauty is a GPS Radar. It's like a normal radar," He stroked the grid, zooming out to a full spectrum of Ancient Egypt, "Only it gives you a more wider search radius. And all these little auburn blips right here are the falcons."

"So the Pharaoh _is_ in on it!" Sly growled. The cane cracked in his tightening grip. "He's harboring them while Contessa sicks them on anyone who bothers her." Honestly it irked his pride as a thief that Contessa never felt the need to use the falcons on him. Perhaps this explains how Slytunkhamen was carried beyond what he could follow.

"Then it's high time we depose the king, and his little song bird." Alauna declared. She pulled her laptop from her pack, drawing up a link to Cairo in 1300 BC. "Alright. The current Pharaoh is one Pardelaytra. History describes him as ruthless but calculating. He is currently engaged to a Anahksha, Princess of Arabia. No kids or others spouses to speak of."

"That's a start." Bentley began setting up a Chalk Talk for their operation. "However we can't begin formulating a plan to save Slytunkhamen until we have a firm grasp on the situation."

"I hear recon photos." Sly hooted excitedly.

"You've been out of the game for a while, Sly. Sure you're up for this?" Bentley understood the stakes resting on them saving Slytunkhamen. He'd hate for things to go awry and Sly blame himself.

"I'm not going to lie, I feel rusted." He rotated a shoulder, twisting his body, shaking loose caked on dust. "But what better way to grease the cogs than field work."

"Here-here!" Alauna slapped his back. "And I'll be right there with you."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." They grasped hands and shook firmly. Thunder and lightning crackled in Bentley and Carmelita's skulls. Murray may pretend not to notice, but he stepped back sensing the sparks. Sly and Alauna get along exceedingly well. Like brother and sister. Bentley and Carmelita had nothing to worry about.

"Where are we taking pics, Bentley?" Sly huddled close.

"We're going to need two part pictures. Inside and out." Sly and Alauna felt dread grip their stomachs. "Sly I'm going to need pictures of the wall, the guards, and the palace itself. We'll need knowledge of the grounds to move around it." Sly saluted. "Alauna, you'll need to find a way inside and get a pictures of the Pharaoh and his staff. Listen in on their conversations as well. We may be able to find out what's happened to Slytunkhamen. Also, see if you can locate the falcons. The source of the hydraulic fluid is somewhere beneath the palace." Alauna nodded firmly. "Alright guys, get going. It's been 24 hours since we left Slytunkhamen. He may not have much time left."

…

Slytunkhamen's cell door flew open. The battered raccoon flinched at the intolerable glow of the torch. Blemished skin along the middle of his skin radiated in white hot pain from crown to neck. Hovering a hand to shield the light, Slytunkhamen's eyes widened to see The Contessa walk in with the darkest grin. He tensed defensively, ready for anything they had to throw at him.

"What have you done?" He rasped defiantly. He touched the marred skin where that millipede planted its razor sharp prongs. "What did your insect do to me?"

"That is a surprise for a later time." The Contessa purred. Her arachnid legs strolled casually, driving the Cooper to press his sore back to the wall. "Right now is a time for celebration. You'll no longer be subjected to this style of living." Slytunkhamen raised a skeptical brow. The Contessa pinched the shirt collar and his skin hoisting him off the ground. "By this time tomorrow, Cooper, you'll be living in the valley of the dead."

…

Skittish, timid people walked the city's dirt streets on eggshells. Heads down and frightened gazes glued to the pebbles. Children playing ball lose their spirits as soon as The Gators stroll on scene. The hyenas patrolled the streets, cackling in hearty malevolence when a pedestrian would cower in a barrel at their presence. Whenever a guard came close, the people froze like deer in headlights. Not a single muscle twitched until the guards were five corners away.

Guards waiting at the Palace Wall Gates laughed at the passersby. "Spineless cowards!"

"Pathetic!"

"Padelaytra's naked cat holds more courage!"

"And that beast is scared of mice!" The two Gators fell over on each other laughing. A sudden flash put them on edge. They twirled their swords at the ready, scuffling their feet as they searched the small area. "Who did that?"

"Show yourself!"

" _Nice picture Sly._ " Bentley snickered. Sly spied on high from a stone rooftop, laughing as the guards stumbled over themselves to find the flash. " _The Gator Guards clearly are the muscle behind the Pharaoh's arsenal. They're ones to watch out for._ " He turned the flash off. Zooming the lens out, Sly took a photo of a to scale view of the skyward wall. The tallest building in the city, outside the walls, was a pagoda a few blocks away. It fell 50 feet short. Sly's roof top didn't hold a wick to the wall. " _That is one thick wall. High too. Guards patrolling every inch._ " Bentley groaned. " _But even the strongest wall has a weakness. And I'm the turtle to piece it apart._ "

Next were pictures of the whole perimeter. If given a bird's eye view, the palace courtyard just beyond the wall was a small city within a huge city. The walls could be seen beyond the clouds. It took Sly some time, but he managed to send Bentley a few photos of the wall, getting the spires and flat surfaces of the palace roof in the pictures. Now for the courtyard itself. A shame for any and all fortresses, no wall is too high for a Cooper.

"Ugh…" Sly massaged a fiery pain in his ribs. Every joint in his body ached. "I am out of shape." He grunted.

"You sure you're up for this?" Alauna rested her hands to his shoulders. Sly looked bad when they found him. Alauna and the others hoped it was superficial. "I understand why you want to do this. But don't take on too much too soon."

"Seriously, are we sure I'm the older one?" Sly joked about her motherly nature. Alauna's serious expression deterred his jocularisms. He cleared his throat, clapping her shoulders, "I'm fine, Allie. I can climb a wall and snap a few photos."

"It's not the wall climbing I'm worried about." She noticed the guards patrolling the wall, marching to spires sprouting in the center of the walkway and back in the other direction. "Sly-" The Cooper was gone. She heard a whistled. Sly was climbing wall pegs, waving as he neared the top. Alauna grunted irritably. Sly rolled on the walkway, hiding behind a spire. "Dammit, Cooper."

Two guards marched in sync to the midway spire, turned on their heels and marched the other way. Sly rose to his feet. By the distance and their pace, Sly had 30 seconds before those guards came back the other way. He reared around and snapped a full image of the courtyard. The combination of a garden, stage, and bayside lounge are. The stage looked more like an executioner's block. The palace had a leviathan of a balcony over looking much of the mile wide garden. The palace just standing in the rear wall of the fortified city as the crowned jewel. Ivory towers, clear water fountains.

"I just gotta know what's inside."

" _NO!_ " Sly cringed. Bentley and Alauna nearly broke his eardrum. " _Alauna's in, you're out! Got it?_ "

"Yes mom." Sly rolled his eyes. He rubbed his rubs. His whole body felt like shredded meat. "Maybe I should consider staying outside."

…

Alauna ducked around and over stands, evading the ridiculous number of guards patrolling the streets. She pressed her back to the palace walls. " _Okay, Alauna, you're up._ _Looks like you can get in the palace using the balcony._ " Alauna grabbed similar wall pegs, climbing gradually so not to alarm anyone. She saw the size of that balcony. Her only cover would be hugging the wall. " _Judging by the size, calculating the perimeter and area, carry the two, you should waltz right into the throne room. Remember. Get in, get pcis, get out, and both of you get back to the hideout._ "

"I hate how simple you make this sound." She crouched low, scrambling to a rope connecting to the balcony. Hideous tapestries with hieroglyphics of the current pharaoh decorated the fine cloth. "You become the thief slash bounty hunter and you take the bloody pictures in the devil's snare."

" _Sorry, Alauna, price of the job. Be careful._ "

"Yeah. Careful." Alauna scurried along the rope, shifting attention between guards patrolling the wall and courtyard, and the approaching balcony. She snapped a few photos along the way. Alauna tumbled, crouching behind the stone railing. Peering over, she released a breath of relief. None of the guards batted an eye. Large pillars were all that stood between her and the throne room she saw. "Bentley, that radar thing of yours working?" She whispered, sliding her back along the wall.

" _Full power. When you reach the throne room you'll be right on top of it._ "

"When you say beneath the palace, do you mean the dungeons or the catacombs?"

" _I'll let you know._ " Alauna sucked in her curdling gut. When she peered into the throne room, she was stunned to see it was empty. No guards, no staff, no Pharaoh. Still she wasn't taking any chances. She tiptoed in. The echo of her boots jumped her nerves. She never took her eyes off the only two doors leading into the massive hall. " _Got it!_ " She squeaked. Bentley stopped her heart a second. " _Head for the door on the right hand side._ "

"My right or the king's right?"

" _Your right._ " He groaned sarcastically. Alauna snorted. _He's so cute when he's aggravated._ " _There's a stairway 50 yards in. Just be careful. You won't have any cover on the stairs._ "

"Roger that, Bentley." The bone chilling creak of door hinges froze her in ice.

"My Lady, your efforts to preserve my city astonish me." A smooth, gruff British like voice crooned.

"Why, thank you, My Lord." Someone was coming. Alauna panicked, looked everywhere for a place to hide. The Contessa, led on the arm of a muscular grey snow leopard, giggling like a love struck school girl. Solid brass vambrace and bicep braces accentuating the muscles. "I certainly aim to live up to your expectations." Her claw played with the false postiche (beard) on his chin. Her head snuggled to shoulder cloth of his Nemes Headdress. "Soon your treasures will be in their proper places, My Pharaoh."

"Excellent." The Pharaoh, Pardelaytra, purred. "Where would I be without you?" He stroked his fine cloth skirt to the back of his legs and sat comfortably to his throne.

"Scouring the desert for raccoons yourself." She knelt and kissed the braces to his muscular legs.

In the rafters way on high in the throne room, Alauna lied on her back, fitting to the thick beam until she was certain Contessa and Pardelaytra hadn't seen her. Flipping to her stomach, she kept her head as much out of the light as possible. The beams were in immaculate shape. If only the city matched. She glared at the Contessa below. How she fawned so pathetically made her want to barf. She went to make her way for the right side door when she was flabbergasted by Pardelaytra.

"My dear," Pardelaytra cupped her chin, "I would truly suffer without your aide." Alauna was just entranced by his appearance. This powerful sense of deja vu gripped her in a vice. She put on her binocucom, cuing a live feed for Bentley to see.

"Bentley, are you seeing this?"

" _I wish I wasn't._ " He was greener than usual, fighting to not puke. " _The Contessa's more bearable when she's a harpy._ "

"That is disturbing, but not my point." She zoomed in on Pardelaytra. "There's our infamous Pharaoh."

" _Wow. He's scarier looking than Rajan._ " Bentley cringed. " _The only good news is he's not entirely in on the time traveling conspiracy._ "

"The magic you utilized to drop in my lap and rid me of that infernal Cooper is a blessing sent by the gods." Pardelaytra continued to woo the flustered Spiderwoman. "Soon my riches will be returned, and you will be my queen."

"You honor me, Sire."

" _Ew...I'll never recover._ "

"Your stomach dysfunctions aside…" Alauna parted from the binocucom to see Pardelaytra then put her eyes back on the scopes, "Does he seem familiar at all?"

Bentley hummed pensively, studying the leopard. Pardelaytra jumped out at him. " _You know what? He does...bear a resemblance to you._ " A knife plunged into Alauna's ego. He looks like her? Canoodling with a woman who isn't his wife? That's her father. But no way does she share anything with him. Or vice versa.

"Is Slytunkhamen ready for his ceremony tomorrow?" Alauna and Bentley arched brows.

"The boy is quivering in _excitement._ "

"Executions excite me as well." Pardelaytra chuckled unnervingly. Alauna and Bentley's jaw dropped in utter horror. "I wish dawn would arrive sooner."

"Bentley..."

" _Don't worry, Alauna. We won't let that execution happen._ " The confidence Bentley conveyed rose Alauna's spirits. " _Get a picture of him and get to that door._ "

"Gladly…" She took a couple of pictures of him. However, in the back of her mind, she admitted there was a resemblance.

Alauna wriggled behind a tapestry, riding the cloth all the way to the floor. The Contessa and Pardelaytra never stopped for a second. She backed in through the door and disappeared into the long hallway. She ran across the beams, passing over Hyena guards. The notorious stairway arrived. Bentley wasn't kidding about the cover. It was a narrow, spiraling way. Alauna drew her shoto blade. Dust ground under her boot. That would help her if someone came from either direction.

To Alauna's dread tow hyena guards, one behind her and in front of her, were heading right for her. Pressing her hands and feet to the walls she climbed up. The hyenas saluted each other and proceeded on. Alauna dropped back down and rushed downstairs. The hyena was stopped at the foot of the stairs. He stretched his arms above his head, letting out a well deserved yawn. A breeze touched the back of his neck. He twisted around. Nothing but a dark stairway. The hyena shrugged and moved on.

Alauna balanced over the archway, wiping nervous sweat from her brow. " _You sure you're not a Cooper._ " Bentley complimented. " _The source is on 'your' left._ "

"Right. Just look for the room with a mad scientist reviving metal birds." She joked. She gets all the hard jobs. She must have looked through ten windows. Skeletons, rats, and dust. By window 11 boisterous Gator guards were on their way down. Alauna ducked through a random door. "Guards everywhere." She moaned. The strong aroma musty...gasoline watered her eyes. _Gasoline?_ Alauna turned. A dungeon cell? More like an ancient mad scientists lab. Both walls lined with offline Mechanized Falcons plugged to parking meter charging stations. Their power supply was in the green. They only needed pilots to take off. "Half my wish granted. Bentley, I'm missing Frankenstein, but I found the falcons. And they're ready to go."

" _If we're going to have a chance of saving Slytunkhamen, those have to be dealt with._ "

"Want me to take care of them?" Alauna charged her revolver.

" _No. My sensors indicate internal alarms._ " Alauna's elbow bent. " _One goes offline and you'll be swarmed._ " Alauna bit her lip. In the meantime she took a picture. Bentley may be able to come up with a plan of attack. " _Head back to the hideout. Time to come up with a plan._ "

Alauna scoped the hallway through the bars before proceeding to escape. The guards were dragging a rag doll of a body over the coarse ground. Her heart sank when the guards wandered by. "Bentley. Slytunkhamen's here! The guards are dragging him off!" She reached for her revolver. "We have to save him!" She entered the hallways, aiming her revolver.

" _Alauna, I know how you feel. But if you we go for him now, you'd never escape._ "

"You don't know that!"

" _With the falcons fully operational? I'm certain of it!_ " Alauna ground her teeth together. Her pupils slitting. Her finger curled to the trigger. Part of her knew Bentley was right. The Bounty Hunter half wanted to take the challenge. " _Alauna, please. I know you want to save him. Sly felt the same when Carmelita was captured. But unless you trust me-_ "

"I do trust you!" It broke her heart to hear he lacked faith in her trust in him.

" _Then come back to the hideout, Allie. I promise you, the plan I have will get Slytunkhamen out of there._ " Alauna exhaled, lowering her gun in defeat. The slam of a cell confirmed Slytunkhamen was locked away. It killed her. It really did. Alauna turned on her heels and ran out, swearing to free Slytunkhamen.

 **To be continued.**


	9. Rescue the Prince of Thieves

**Rescue the Prince of Thieves**

 **Alright. Moving on.**

 **(-)**

(Chalk Talk)

Bentley's tablet was propped on the table. One of his famous battle plans had everyone on the edge of their seats in anxious anticipation. " _Alright guys. It's been an intense few days, but I've come up with a plan to bust Slytunkhamen out._ " He touched the screen with both thumb and index fingers, spanning the CT logo to the first image of the plan. The Contessa and Pardelaytra's decision to execute Slytunkhamen. " _The Contessa has weaseled her way into Pardelaytra's ear and has initiated Slytunkhamen's execution by morning. Giving us literally 18 hours to free him._ "

He swiped the photo to a photo of the guards. " _Sly, you want back in the field? I'm going to need you and Alauna to acquire disguises to pose as the guards. Only captain rank will be allowed to stand guard during the execution. You'll need the brown waistband with the gold eye, top grade battle skirts and sandals, headbands with the leopard sigil. The guards patrolling the palace gates will have the perfect uniforms._ "

He moved on to a photo of the falcons. " _Next, I'll infiltrate the palace and initiate a Bentley Hack attack, leaving what I call a trojan bomb inside the falcons. Don't worry, I discovered a turtle entryway for myself. Demolishing those falcons will decimate any chances of aerial pursuit._ "

Finally was the wall. " _Finally is the palace wall. Murray, you and Carmelita are going to gather ingredients for a particular brand of blast gelatin. Spark Rock candy. Sorry Murray, I need your stash. Sap from a Maple Leaf, which is found in a grotto area of the market. And at least two full pots of pitch. A shipment is due to leave the city soon. We're going to need a lot of this stuff to make this work. This and the destruction of the falcons will be the key to our escape."_

 _"Now get going! We're on the clock and time is not one our side. Pardon the pun._ "

(Chalk Talk End)

 **(-)**

Bentley discovered a crumbling hole in the west side of the palace walls. Instead of heading straight in - through to the courtyard - the tunnel sloped downward to the famed underground tunnels Bentley mentioned. If his scanners were correct, and his scanners were always correct, that hole would take him to the tunnels beneath the dungeon and bring him to the dungeons themselves. Provided he avoided the dangers undoubtedly inside.

"Okay, guys, I'm heading in." He announced, ready to get started. " _So...how come I couldn't use the secret tunnel?_ " Alauna pouted. A hint of scolding digging in the turtle.

"Not now, Alauna, I'm preparing for my descent." He avoided that scary topic. Alauna let it slide with a sarcastic hum. Bentley wasn't going to admit he found it right after she was inside. "Once I have implanted the program, it'll only take a flick of the button to cripple them."

" _Why not just blow them now?_ " Carmelita wondered.

"Because we'll give ourselves away. Contessa, likely, already anticipates that we've made our way here. She knows we'll come for Slytunkhamen." He gazed up at the palace, knowing Contessa was fawning over Pardelaytra. The spider woman is no fool. "We blow these falcons now, we're sending up a flare of our presence. Patience will be the key."

" _We have faith in you, pal._ " Sly assured the turtle.

"I'll call you guys when I'm inside. Good luck."

" _You too, little buddy._ " Murray chimed in.

 **(-)**

Sly and Alauna put away their binocucoms with simultaneous groans and eye rolls. "Ever notice how he gives the athletic people the hard jobs?" Sly rumbled.

"At least it's out of love." Alauna leaned on a roof wall, gazing ravenously upon unsuspecting guards. "Besides we can't count on Murray or Carmelita to steal costumes."

"Point taken." He took out a shopping list of items. "We need captain grade uniforms. Brown bands with golden eyes, battle skirts and sandals, and headbands bearing a leopard sigil."

"Talk about an ego. A leopard on the headband." Alauna snorted. "Bloody Hell. Reminds me of you and your little calling cards."

"I'll have you know I don't use those anymore." Alauna reached into his collar and plucked a card free. She raised a reprimanding brow. Sly chuckled nervously. "Maybe I've used them once or twice. But not here! In this time period!"

"Do you wish to improve my opinion of you or do you want to rescue your ancestral grandfather?"

"Rescuing Slytunkhamen sounds ten times easier."

"Then let us be off."

 **(-)**

"I can't believe Bentley took all my Spark Rock candy!" Murray whined, sinking in paranoid hunger for the snapping rocks.

"I can't believe you had four cases stashed in a compartment below the van." Carmelita retorted. Seeing that much candy curdled her stomach.

"Hey, they're addicting." Carmelita shook her head. Murray refocused his attention on the guards loading a cart labeled _flammable_. That's the pitch they were looking for. Only two pots of it. "How to get those pots…"

Carmelita huffed gruffly, slumping angrily against a wooden stand. Once again Sly and Alauna have been paired on a mission. They might as well be dating. "Have you noticed how much _time_ Sly and Alauna have been spending together?"

"That's nothing different." Murray shrugged, keeping his eye glued to the cart loaded with pots. "Alauna and Sly always partner together on missions. They're our A-Team."

"I don't mean the missions!" She hissed. "I could run on ropes and climb pipes if I wanted to." Carmelita muttered self consciously. "I'm talking about how they're clinging to each other's hip."

Murray sighed in defeat. There's no avoiding it anymore. Not that he didn't expect this conversation to roll up. Bentley was bothered by it too. "Sly and Alauna have always been close. But it's only a brother and sister relationship." He put a hand to Carmelita's shoulder, lightening her dampened mood with a warm smile. "He's nuts about you, Carmelita. Don't doubt that." He managed to earn a smile from Carmelita. A real shock. She's such a grim person.

"The pitch all loaded up?" A hyena beckoned a badger.

The badger closed the back of the cart, fastening it tightly for the road ahead. "That's the last of it. Make sure you're careful. This stuff spills and the sun will light it up like Rah!" Carmelita and Murray sensed their job grow a little complicated.

"You think I don't know that?" The hyena snapped the reins. The camel let out a dry moan and picked up its skinny legs. "Don't worry, I won't spill a drop." The carriage was on its way for the city gates.

"Two pots without spilling? Murray lost his confidence all of a sudden. "Not even I can do that."

"That's why I'm here. Come on." Carmelita shuddered. She was...ugh...thinking like a thief. _Sly will never let me live this down._

 **(-)**

"WHOOOAAA!" Bentley road a startling drop to a half foot deep splash of musty water. He whimpered sickly, feeling the filth infect his shell. The headlights in his handlebars revealed awe inspiring catacombs that challenged the famous Paris catacombs. Skulls on the walls resting in the hands of the deceased. Bentley was impressed and grossed out. He took a picture for Alauna all the same. It would look nice with the pictures of the Ruined Village Caverns.

"Alright." The holographic computer displayed a rough draft of the tunnels. "The dungeons should be down this corridor, to the left, and a up a slope." Easy enough. "This is too easy. Better keep an eye out." He wheeled cautiously. Beady yellow eyes pierced the darkness. They moved silently, keeping just out of Bentley's light.

"Man it stinks down here." Must have been because of the humidity. The dank, murky water stifled the minimal breeze circling the ominous tunnels. The breeze sounded more like hopeless moans of the dead trapped in the wall. "Maybe I should have asked one of the others to come with me…" Bentley steadily lost his nerve. "Maybe Alauna. She loves dark, scary tunnels." A hiss of air brushed his neck. Bentley shrieked, whirling around. The light filled the wide tunnel. Nothing was there. Maybe it was the breeze. Bentley returned to the path. He waited a second, then rolled on. "This is worse than Hati." The beady eyes descended from the ceiling. Razor sharp fangs protruded in malicious grins. Long, twisting bodies slithered along the ceiling. Forked tongues licked hungry lips. Tails hovered all around him.

 **(-)**

"GET OUT OF THE WAY! MOVE YOUR ASSES! HEY! DON'T LET YOUR DOG PEE ON THE FERN!" The hyena shouted insult after vulgarity after demand. People dove out of the way of his camel drawn carriage. He may not have been moving fast, but the people knew well enough he wouldn't hesitate to run them over. The hyena threw his head back in a fit of laughter. "Peons. Bury your faces in that dirt! Love the dirt! Savor the-" A burst of electricity scared the camel to a jerky halt. The hyena was thrown off, getting a face full of well deserved dirt. "Who...DARES-" A boot smashed his face back in the dirt. The barrel of a shock pistol kept him still.

"You so much as twitch and you'll be a crispy critter!" Carmelita growled. It was imperative the guards didn't see their faces. Unfamiliar he may be with the weapon, the hyena kept his palms glued to the dirt. "NOW!"

Murray rushed on scene with a hand drawn cart. His punch easily broke the cart hatch open. He stocked two pots of the pitch on the cart, fastening them tightly so they wouldn't spill. "TIME TO GO!" Carmelita plowed her pistol in the hyena's head, rendering him unconscious. She performed a few back flips and landed square on the cart edges.

"HALT IN THE NAME OF THE PHARAOH!" More Hyenas and a few badgers howled, emerging out of nowhere.

"HOLD ON, CARMELITA!" Murray amped up the strength in his legs. Just as the guards dove for them Murray took off. The guards piling on top of one another, getting a face full of dirt as Murray and Carmelita escaped down the street.

"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!"

 **(-)**

Sly was leaning on an elbow on the roof. He watched indifferently as Carmelita and Murray drove by. A hoard of guards soon followed a few seconds later. "Things are already getting exciting ." He extended a hand towards the ladder. Two headbands and a pair of Sandals were put in his palm.

"And it's only been three hours." Alauna climbed on the roof. Two Gator guards had stars circling their heads. Headbands and one pair of sandals were checked off the list.

"I've noticed something." Sly pointed to the two guards unconscious. "Bentley said Captain guards patrolling the walls would have the brown belts. Theirs are green."

"They must either be on break or patrolling around." She hoped they were patrolling. Where ancient Egyptian guards went on break was anyone's guess. Alauna analyzed the headbands. "Those should fit Murray nicely. However…" She studied Sly's physique. The sandals were more geared towards Murray. "Murray's a gator. You're more of a hyena size."

"Speak of the devil." Sly smirked. "There's my size now." Alauna's tail wagged watching the hyena stumble upon the unconscious guards. He panicked, scuffling defensively in case the attackers were nearby. Sweat soaked his matted fur thinking of who could have taken down highly trained gators. "Shall we do this neatly or quickly?"

"Is there really a difference in our case?"

"No. Just thought I'd ask." The two jumped over the edge.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" The Hyena yanked the neck of his mane. Spanning shadows obscured the scorching sun. They Hyena looked up. Sly and Alauna's boot connected with his face, smashing him in the ground. A giant dust cloud obscured the violent ambush. "HEY-WHAT-STOP-NO!" The skirt was ripped away, sandals yanked off his feet. Rope hogtied his hands and feet, and a scarf tied his snout shut. As the dust cleared, Sly was dressed and ready to go.

"What do you think?" He twirled, showing off his raggedy finesse.

Alauna tossed the hyena in a barrel, tying it shut. She gave Sly the once over and whistled wolfishly. "Carmelita's heart will stop." She _slightly_ hoped.

"Good. Now to finish Murray's costume."

"Halt!" Sword tips pressed to the middle of Sly and Alauna's backs. They threw their hands up. Inward curses slapped their pride. How gator guards managed to get the drop on them? Bentley was going to have a field day.

 **(-)**

Bentley eyes were on the verge of popping from their sockets. Serpentine bodies constricted his arms, legs, and torso. Each breath their bodies squeezed his fragile turtle bones tighter. Unbearable pressure built in Bentley's head, threatening to split his skull. He started to see spots. Fire burned his He could feel his bones about to break. Vipers loomed over his head, waiting for him to lose consciousness. They parted their lips, bringing their fangs for exposed places on Bentley.

"I...don't...think so!" Bentley's discolored finger pressed a button. The mech hands snapped to two vipers necks. Their bodies went limp, released Bentley. He grabbed the last snake. Together he and the hands twisted the snakes into knots, then tossed them aside. "Indiana Jones meet your...match?" His voice cracked. Anaconda sized viper erected tall before the trembling turtle. Fangs dripping hungrily with venom. Bentley came to a horrifying conclusion. "Bentley...meet MOM!" He activated his rocks. A gush of water splashed in the vipers face as Bentley whisked through the tunnels. The viper mom hissed in humiliation shaking off the water, charging after the turtle. Toned, contorting muscles quaked large chunks of rock free of the surrounding tunnel. Skulls shattered like lightbulbs on the stone floor.

Bentley steered clear of the falling debris. He revved the rocket fiercely, not allowing the chair to slow down for the slightest second. He grasped the corner of a sharp turn and literally launched himself to his intended destination. The serpent circled the walls and ceiling on the turn, keeping on Bentley's hide like a foul stench. Its jaws snapped to gobble Bentley. He jumped and jerked to safety. The unnaturally strong body continued to decimate the tunnel further in. A skull bounced off Bentley's hat. Then a rock. Skeleton hands fell to his lap. The adrenaline made him ignore it.

Finally he arrived at the slope. He routed all power the afterburners. The serpent lunged forward, mouth wide open. Bentley ignited the burners. A face full of mud snaked in the snakes throat. Bentley leaned as far forward, running the burners to their brink as he sensed the exit in sight. Sputtering encased ice to Bentley's spine. He incessantly pressed a button. The burners choked to a dying whirr, exhausting puffs of smoke. He was losing all velocity. Wheels spinning in muddy traction. He came to a brief halt then was sliding back the other way.

"NO! NO! NO!" Bentley's finger pounded the afterburner trigger in a panic. To make matters worse the snake returned. Fangs bared in a grin. "Please…" He pressed the button. The snake got closer. "Please…" The snake was getting close. Nothing but smoke. The snake opened it's mouth. "DAMMIT, GO!" He slammed both fists to the chair arms. Fire erupted down the snake's throat, scorching its insides. Bentley was launched and came bursting through a flimsily boarded up wooden hatch. He spun to a dizzy halt. The sound of falcons charging was enough to bring him back to reality. Shaking off the nausea, Bentley rushed to the hole and sealed it with cement and plaster bombs. "Glad...I...made those...in advance…" He crumbled in his chair, just needing a moment to calm down. The falcons around him weren't going anywhere. He did need an alternate escape route. "Alauna's not gonna like it when she figures out there's three ways in here." He located the master computer feeding the falcons.

Doing a little internal hardware searching, Bentley discovered the falcons were all linked to the same server. The controls providing power to the charging stations linked them all to one convenient location. "Time for a little Bentley Hack attack."

 **(-)**

"FASTER, MURRAY, FASTER!" Carmelita egged as she fired shock bolt after shock bolt at the gaining guards.

Murray panted like a dog, dripping in sweat. "Can't...go on...losing...gas…" His legs lolst speed the harder he tried to run.

"Don't slow down, Murray! We still need the sap!" Carmelita shot an overpass. Stones and pots fell on half the guards. The others jumped over and continued their pursuit.

"On other side...can't outrun...gonna crash…" Murray wobbled. The cart bumped into him as he slowed down.

Carmelita bit her lower lip. They still needed that sap. But Murray would never make it if they didn't give the guards the slip. "I'll create a smoke screen! Use it to escape to the hideout! I'll get the sap myself!"

"But what...about you?"

"I can handle myself." She aimed at the dirt. "Now get ready!" She ran shots in trail of the cart, blowing heavy clouds of dust in the guards' path. The cloud became so thick you couldn't see two feet ahead of you. "GO!" Murray turned right, Carmelita jumped left. The guards came to a tumbling halt, losing sight of Carmelita and Murray in their daze.

Carmelita couldn't rely on stealth. She leapt over people, scaled roof tops, and even pole vaulted across gaps. She and Murray blew too much time running from those bozos. She exhausted every ounce of energy crossing the city. The garden with the sap was in sight. A half mile wide grotto with curving bars over the top with leaves protruding, stone walls keeping others from stealing produce. Carmelita grabbed a pole and rode it to a painful landing.

"OH MY!" A jackal woman gasped, dropping a pot of water.

"I'm sorry! Truly! Don't be alarmed!" Carmelita lurched forward, gasping for air. "Do you...have...Maple Leaf Sap?" The woman was boggled, still startled by Carmelita's entrance. The trouble in Carmelita's eyes appealed to her. She went into the grotto and brought out a crate of vases containing the sap. "Thank you! Two crates should be enough." The only question is how was she going to pay for it. "I know…" Carmelita unclipped her one earring, giving it to the woman. "This is solid gold. It's yours."

The woman was stunned. She bit the earring, bent it, held it up to the sun. It was legit. "This sap must be important if you are willing to hand this over."

"You have no idea." Carmelita loaded up the crates to a cart and left. The woman giggled at the earring. The food on the table she'd provide. Carmelita surreptitiously snuck another earring on. "Ugh. I can hear Sly now."

 **(-)**

"You two are under arrest for the malicious attack on king personnel." Sly and Alauna's heads tilted. They smirked. Brown waistbands with golden eye embroideries.

"Wait a moment. I know this one." The guard restraining Sly spun him around by the head. "He's the relative of Slytunkhamen. A spitting image."

"How fortuitous." The other guard purred. He yanked Alauna by the hair. "Now there are three for the chopping block." Her pupils slit. Prickling heat touched the gator's stomach. "Huh?" There was a pop. Burning, gaping holes exploded out the gator's back. Alauna twisted from his dead grip. The gator fell forward. She twirled her revolver and fired a shot in the other gator's head, dropping him like a brick.

"Seriously, you're way too good at that." Sly laughed, fighting a shudder.

"Nice to see you've noticed." Alauna relieved the guards of their waistbands and one of his skirt. "But I get the sense my acquiescence to kill still bothers you."

"No. What bothers me is how you never hesitate." He corrected, trying not to sound offensive. "Not once have I seen you release the trigger once your finger is curled to it."

Alauna's gaze drifted to the side. She recalled Bentley's plea for her to stand down. Were Sly in the dungeons, he would have seen her retract her firearm. "It may be rare, but it does happen. Sometimes death only hinders an operation."

"Glad to see you've taken my advice!" Bentley popped up inside a jewelry stand, dressed as a merchant. Sly and Alauna were dumbstruck. "Would the lady like a necklace?" He teased with an accent, displaying a gold necklace with a ruby wing-shaped pendant. "A pretty necklace for a pretty lady."

Alauna's brow twitch irately. "Three ways, Bentley?!" She bounced her fingers on her crossed arms.

"In my defense I discovered them-"

"After my escapade!" She pressed their noses. Bentley laughed dryly. He was so dead. "You're lucky I love you, Brain, otherwise I'd turn you into soup." She knocked his hat.

"Oh good, the gang's all here." Carmelita dragged her cart of the maple sap.

"Nice work, Carmelita." Sly congratulated.

"Thank you. I trust you all did your jobs."

"The bomb is planted." Bentley brought up his holographic screen. He input a code, linking him to the Falcon Server. "All I need to do is light the virtual wick and they go caput."

"We're surprised you got anything done running for your life." Alauna replied snarkily. Carmelita fumed through her nostrils. "So where's Murray?"

"Murray's already back at the hideout. Likely collapsed from exhaustion."

"Then let's head back." Bentley decreed, leaving the stand. "All the commotion caused likely alerted our presence. The longer we linger, the more likely it is we'll be caught."

"He's right." Alauna agreed. "We need to get ready and have our ducks in a row. Otherwise Slytunkhamen's legacy ends here."

"Then let's get going." Carmelita and Alauna grabbed a handle on the cart. Sly and Bentley climbed in, and the gang was on their way back to the hideout.

 **(-)**

A gator, badger, and hyena were on their knees, pressing their foreheads to the ground in a plea for forgiveness at the mercy of a fuming Pardelaytra. Sharpened black claws dug to and fro in the gold marble. Little screeches sending chills down the cowering guards' spines. The Contessa, now joined by an irked Penelope, glared upon the pitiful servants as they pleaded for clemency for their bungling.

"First the prison. Then you lose them whilst they are trapped in a hole!" Pardelaytra pushed heatedly from his throne. "Now you tell me that blasted Cooper and his friends eluded you in a city you should know like the back of your hands!" To prove the point he swatted the back of his hand across the hyena's face, knocking him to the ground. The other two flinched, not daring to remove their heads from the floor. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't execute you all along side Slytunkhamen."

"My Lord, Pardelaytra, we beg you!" The Gator appealed to his king's ego. "We had not anticipated the arrival of the raccoon or his allies!"

"It is true, Your Majesty!" The Badger pleaded on his knees, hands out for the smallest scrap of mercy. "Had we expected them-"

"The ladies here warned you of their inevitable arrival!" Pardelaytra gestured to Penelope and Contessa. "Had you bothered to heed their warnings, you would not have lost valuable manpower or wasted MY valuable time with your pathetic excuses!"

"My...Lord!" The Hyena returned to grovel with his comrades. "Give us a second chance! We will capture them!" Pardelaytra sliced a claw across his neck. He struck the other two. All three toppled over dead.

"Ew. Messy." Penelope cringed.

"A necessary mess." Pardelaytra cleaned his claws. "I hope your carefully laid plans do not result with you meeting a similar fate, Lovely Mouse." He purred.

"Your concern isn't necessary." She shrugged off his suaveness. "The goal is Slytunkhamen. We dangled him like a worm and watch the Cooper Gang swarm."

"Are you certain this plan will work?"

"Without a doubt." Penelope chuckled, rubbing her gloves together. "Bentley's in for a nasty surprise come tomorrow morning."

 **(-)**

(Chalk Talk)

 _ **Operation Grab and Dash**_

 _"It's D-Day folks. Time to get serious. With six hours till dawn, we have no time to fool around."_ Bentley spanned the CT logo to a picture of Slytunkhamen with a hangman's noose on his neck. " _Slytunkhamen's sentenced to death by hanging and it'll be us standing between him and suffocating."_

The next picture involved Alauna and Bentley. " _Alauna, you and I are going to spread the gelatin on both sides of the wall at certain strategic points. When reacted to intense focused heat, the gelatin should create an intense blast that'll have everyone scrambling. Afterward, we'll be waiting in the van behind the palace on the other side of the city wall to make our escape."_

Next was Sly and Murray in their costumes. _"Sly and Murray, you'll report to the guards at the gate you are assigned crowd control. I need you guys to be near the stage once Slytunkhamen has the noose around his neck. The second he drops, Sly needs to cut him free."_

He circled a far perspective view of Carmelita on the palace roof. " _Carmelita, you'll be standing by on the roof. Sorry, Allie, but you'll have to let her borrow a revolver. Once Sly and Murray have Slytunkhamen, it'll be up to her to ignite the gelatin."_

An image of the crowd in disarray, trampling one another to escape. " _The second that crowd starts hollering, you three need to make your way to the back wall and get in the van."_ Bentley had a trigger mechanism in his hand. " _I'll activate my trojan bomb, crippling their falcon forces, and we'll be home free."_

 _"Remember! We don't have any margin for error! The second things go wrong, it's over! Let's get Slytunkhamen and get out of here!"_

(Chalk Talk End)

 **(-)**

Guards yawned drowsily dark morning sky. They planted their swords in the walls in an attempt to keep themselves propped up. A few were piled on top of each other, snoring happily in sleep they lost the other night. Others drew eyes on their eyelids to appear awake. By order of Pardelaytra, no guard was to rest until after the execution. As a result, half of his forces were out for eight hours. Or until they are hollered at.

Alauna and Bentley had no trouble painting X's with Bentley's little paste exploding paste. The guards never so much as twitched when Bentley sneezed in the dust. Using an extending paint roller, the two applied at least three coats worth of the paste on each wall, making sure it seeped through the cracks. They plastered some on the gates for double measure. Bentley sprang off the elastic awnings of the stands. Alauna climbed the pegs, ducking behind the small tower with him. As expected, the guards along the wall and in the courtyard were beyond tired. Bentley hooked the mechanical hands to Alauna's waist, gently lowering her halfway. He looked back to where the other X was and guided Alauna to roughly the same spot. Alauna thickly coated the wall. Bentley simply drove her while she dangled. Alauna let the roller plaster the gelatin until dry. Once the walls were ready, Bentley pulled her up and they went to the van. Four hours remaining.

For three hours the Cooper Gang slept, making sure they were ready. For half of the last hour they reviewed the plan. They knew what to do. It was go time!

Next came Carmelita. Alauna handed off one of her revolvers. She warned the fox woman to take care of it. Carmelita warned her to just be ready to escape. She shot a grapple line, hooking it to a roof crevice. Halfway she had to shimmy up the rope. Climbing the rope became easier when she could plant her feet in the wall. She skulked low, keeping an eye and ear out for guards who might have been smart enough to look on the roof. Carmelita pressed her back to the wall. She turned slightly. A perfect view of the guard fashioning the hangman's noose. On the left, right, and front walls were her targets.

"I'm in position." She whispered in the ear com. "Guards are patrolling the courtyard, the walls, and the palace steps. All armed."

" _Do you have a visual on the chopping block?_ " Bentley responded.

"Affirmative."

" _Then Sly and Murray, you have the green light to move in._ "

 **(-)**

"Roger that, Bentley. We're going in." Murray and Sly nodded firmly. They double checked their uniforms. Not much to them, but they've worked with less and succeeded. They blended with the herding crowd, acting natural so not to draw attention.

A crowd amassed in front of the gates. Word spread of Slytunkhamen's execution and many wished to witness it. Half out of respect, the rest for their own pleasure. Sly and Murray shoved them aside, sounding as mean and gruff as they could without feeling guilty.

"Man there's a lot of people." Murray grumbled. The clasps on his wrists and biceps made unnerving things whenever he nudged someone. The beads of the neck ornament hooked on someone's hair at some point.

" _Back in these days executions were like car crashes or speeders getting tickets._ " Alauna explained the simplicity. " _Everyone's lives are so dull they have to stop and witness one._ "

"I almost feel guilty that we're going to deny them an execution." Sly sniggered.

" _Crying a river, here._ " Bentley rumbled sarcastically.

Sly and Murray arrived at the gate. The two Gators standing guard eyed them skeptically. "What are you idiots gawking at?! Do you wish to be charged with hindering Royal Guard Operations?1" Sly roared puffing his chest, scaring them. "We are here by orders of the Lady Vizier and His Royal Highness themselves to keep these leeches back during the precession! While you stand here ogling, we are losing precious time to establish a baseline where they may approach!"

"OH! OUR APOLOGIES! PLEASE GO IN!" The guards parted, cracking the gates so only Sly and Murray may enter. Murray snorted at one guard. He cringed, shaking like a leaf. The second the gates closed, Sly and Murray burst into nervous laughter. They couldn't believe it worked.

"We're in."

" _An excellent act, boys._ " Alaua applauded. " _Emmy worthy._ " Sly and Murray flexed, blew boastfully on their knuckles. They try.

" _Jokes aside guys! Get to that stage!_ " Bentley cut them off. Everyone put their games face on.

Sly and Murray arranged posts, dictating how close the crowd should be. They kept them back a ways. If a fight breaks out, they couldn't' risk casualties. The two glanced to the roof. Carmelita reflected light off her choker, signaling she was ready. Sly and Murray took to the stage, standing at attention and facing where the crowd soon will be.

"We're set." Murray reported.

 **(-)**

Carmelita set the revolver to a proper temp. She tested her aim, pretending to fire at the targets. "I'm ready."

 **(-)**

Alauna turned on the engine, revving it a couple times, and triple checking the gas. "I'm set with the van." She nodded to Bentley.

"I'm set to blow the falcons." Bentley checked the time. 3...2...1...6:00am right on the dot. Gongs within the palace walls tolled the execution hour. Sly, Murray, Carmelita, Alauna, and Bentley all glanced toward the sky as if a guillotine were about to descend upon them. "Game time."

 **(-)**

The gates were opened. A sea of curious spectators washed in, pushing and shoving each other for a good place. The posts stopped the crowd a few feet away. Plenty of space between them and the stage. Children and vertically challenge people climbed to shoulders, statues, the fountains, and on idly discarded crates. Loud excited murmurs echoed from one end of the city to the others. Those who couldn't make it inside climbed the walls.

Murray's stomach gurgled. And he wasn't hungry. There were so many people. So many guards. All to watch someone lose their life. Sly was twitchy, ready for action. He wanted to crack everyone's skull that was laughing. Carmelita kept her trigger finger steady. She came close to pulling the trigger but managed to stop herself. Alauna and Bentley were barely able to contain themselves. So close and yet so far. They needed to keep calm. Everything was in place. What could possibly go wrong?

Trumpets resounded, silencing the crowd. Sly, Murray, and Carmelita snapped their attention to the balcony. The Royal Dog Vizier stretched a scroll. "Presenting…" His voice projected, "The fourth born son of Zevahn Pardelaytra, tamer of Vipers, and Conqueror of four of the seven deserts - His Royal Highness Niizan Pardelaytra!" An adoring roar erupted from the crowd. Carmelita put on her binocucom, cuing a feed directly to the van so Bentley and Alauna could bear witness. Confidently, and with a dark grin stretching ear to ear, the shadows unveiled the Great Pharaoh Pardelaytra, the light greeting him like Rah's Gift to mankind. Sly and Murray were utterly gobsmacked by the grey leopard. Seeing him frightened Alauna. The Contessa's presence on his arm sickened Carmelita.

"Bring out the prisoner!" Pardelaytra commanded.

Slytunkhamen was led by a leash, dragging his chained feet as a gator yanked him along. He was beaten like a rug, matted and marred beyond recognition. And the gnarly skin on his head. Only a glimmer of defiance resided in his eyes. Sly bit his lip, fighting to kill that guard and Pardelaytra. Murray and the others felt him, but they needed to wait. Slytunkhamen was dragged on the stage, forced to his knees before Pardelaytra.

 **(-)**

"Everyone hold your positions." Bentley gently reminded the anxious team. "We need to wait for him to be on the noose."

"I don't think we can wait that long." Alauna whispered.

"We have to."

 **(-)**

"Slytunkhamen Cooper II…" The Vizier announced. Slytunkhamen kept his head down, not finding the Vizier worth acknowledging, "The charges against you are Treason to the Crown, Vandalism, Grand Thievery, Aiding and Abetting Criminals, Evading Capture, Trespassing, Assaulting Royal Personnel…" Ten minutes later. Half the audience either lost interest or was simply dumbfounded by Slytunkhamen's impressive resume, "And disrobing city official for all to see his undercarriage."

 **(-)**

"Geeze, Cooper, you two could be twins" Carmelita snorted.

" _Hey I never pantsed...never mind._ "

 **(-)**

"How do you plead?"

"I plead to no one!" Slytunkhamen remarked defiantly, earning a few chuckles.

"Do you admit to your crimes or challenge them?" The Vizier countered, obviously not charmed by his impish behavior.

"Hard to challenge something so easy to accomplish." Slytunkhamen bounced his brow at the Vizier, "Perhaps next time you will wear a belt." Half the crowd burst into a fit of laughter. Murray, Sly, and the others found it difficult to not laugh.

The vizier steamed out the ears, throwing the scroll down. He marched off, refusing to be insulted in such a manner. Pardelaytra and Contessa watched him leave. "Clearly, Slytunkhamen, you hold no contest." Pardelaytra leaned on the balcony divider. Slytunkhamen scrunched his nose at the grinning Pharaoh. "Therefore I pass my judgment!"

"Game time..." Murray shuffled close to the noose. Sly kept his position, ready to pounce. Carmelita was ready to fire.

"In accordance with your crimes, as is ordained by my father and his father before him..."

 **(-)**

"Just get on with it!" Alauna hissed impatiently.

 **(-)**

"I do nearby sentence you, Slytunkhamen Cooper II, to hang until dead!" Mixed angered and elated roars thundered from the crowd. Shouts of injustice, cries for a beheading. Clearly a divided populace. "Do you have any final words?"

"I do..." Slytunkhamen reluctantly bowed his head. Pardelaytra motioned his hand. "My only crime, Niizan Pardelaytra, is knowing I will pass on without taking you with me. May your lineage be plagued by the family Cooper!" A great majority of the crowd cheered support of the curse. The Contessa and other nobles scoffed at the idle decree.

The guards hauled Slytunkhamen to his feet. Sly pretended to test the trap door, tapping it three times with his foot. Carmelita flashed her choker. "Standby. Show time." She announced. Alauna and Bentley were ready to roll. Carmelita put the binocucom away and held her aim. Oblivious to her, a bullwhip unraveled.

The noose was fashioned tightly. His hands were restrained behind his back. Feet left chained. Murray and Sly stood on either side, dead set on keeping their attention on the crowd, deviating between being ready to leap for Slytunkhamen. He could feel the heat of anxious glares boring in him and the stage. It took all of Sly's willpower not to snigger at how disappointed they peons were going to be.

Not Pardelaytra or any of the priest read him his last rights. Slytunkhamen, battered, beaten, and bruised, held no care for safe passage into the afterlife from his corrupt leaders. He took a deep breath. As he exhaled, armor hardened his already unyielding resolve. The executioner grasped the lever. Murray and Sly twitched. Slytunkhamen squeezed his eyes closed. The lever was given a hard YANK! The floor dropped.

"NOW!" The voice rang like church bells to Slytunkhamen. Murray launched the gator into the crowd with a swift uppercut. Sly spun around. The twirling Cooper Cane brought life to the broken Slytunkhamen. It sliced clean through the rope. Murray leaned and caught the raccoon inches before falling through. The crowd, the guards, Pardelaytra and Contessa gaped in horror and amazement. It went silent.

"Who are you?" Slytunkhamen's voice cracked.

"After four months you don't recognize me?" Sly winked. Slytunkhamen was on the verge of tears glancing between Murray and Sly. "Don't cry. We forced Allie to keep me here." Slytunkhamen shook his head. Sly's attention diverted to the rooftop. Carmelita was supposed to shoot out the wall. _What's going on?_

"WHAT BLASPHEMY!" Pardelaytra pounded the divider. Murray, Sly, and Slytunkhamen gawked at the balcony. "How dare you interrupt this trial!" Sly postponed any response to glance between the walls. _Carmelita...where are you?_

 **(-)**

Carmelita's face was pressed hard to the marble stone. Her terrified gaze glued to the revolver out of reach. A latex gloved hand hooked a good fistful of her hair, threatening to yank the scalp right of her skull. One hand stretched the thorny bullwhip, tightening the reins constricting Carmelita's arm. A black suited figure, a woman by the curves, had her legs and waist pinned. There was a button on the whip's hilt the figure's thumb threatened to press.

"Please do defy me…" The figure rasped, "I've wanted to hear you scream for so long."

 **(-)**

"This _trial_ is a farce!" Sly roared, gathering his waning confidence. "It's not justice! It's massaging your damn ego!"

"How dare you speak to a king in this manner!" Pardelaytra roared.

"You're not my king!" Sly frothed at the mouth. Pardelaytra snarled like a feline, extending and retracting his claws. His shoulder blades bounced as he prepared to pounce.

The Contessa approached the wall, keeping Pardelaytra at bay with a claw to his shoulder. Silently and with a harsh glare she stared at Sly and Murray, stripping their clothing until - the voices, physique, and agility - everything nostalgically grabbed her. She smiled. "How pleasantly surprising...Sly Cooper." She proclaimed his name in victory. Sly's heart skipped a beat. "And Murray. May you never lose your chubby charm." Murray bounced his stomach, wanting to smother her until she popped.

"Seriously, what's taking Carmelita?" He whispered in the earwig. They were running out of time. Thankfully the crowd and guards were too fascinated to move.

 **(-)**

"Carmelita should have blown the wall by now!" Bentley panicked, listening to Sly stall by insulting Pardelaytra.

"Carmelita? Carmelita! What's your status?" Alauna hounded her. No response. "Carmelita! Answer!" "I can't blow the falcons without the walls. Sly and the others need the panic to escape." Bentley shrieked. "The exploding walls and screams of the crowd would mask the falcons.

Alauna leaned to look out the front windshield. This wasn't a foul up. Something's wrong. "Keep the van running!" She jumped out and scrambled up the grapple line. "Sly! Stall them! I'm heading for the roof now!"

 **(-)**

"Please hurry. I'm running out of insults." He's call the trial a farce, he insulted the guards, and basically called the entire foundation of Melistan a big pile a crap stacked and molded. What was left? Maybe a couple cracks about his mom. That pushes a few buttons.

"So it is you, then? The young Cooper." Pardelaytra folded his arms behind his back. "My guards told me of the resemblance. It is quite uncanny. You two could be twins." Pardelaytra announced, almost impressed. "A shame you both could not meet under more suitable circumstances."

"Hard to do when the world wants you dead!" Slytunkhamen hissed.

"The world does not want you dead, Slytunkhamen. Just me." Pardelaytra held no qualms with admitting. "It seems I will get my wish. Three fold." He purred. Sly, Murray, and Slytunkhamen felt it. Their time was up. "Guards!" All the guards jolted back to reality. "SEIZE THEM!"

"Please tell me you have a plan." Slytunkhamen begged. The guards had the stage and them surrounded.

"Hopefully she's getting her act together."

 **(-)**

Carmelita overheard the order. Sly and the others were in trouble. They needed her help. She wiggled animatedly. The woman laughed at her. "Don't fret, Carmelita. It will all be over soon."

Alauna clamped sore palms to the rough stone. She dug her boots in for a final prop up. She rested on her elbows and was horrified to find Carmelita pinned by an unknown assailant. "Gents, contingencies!" Alauna signaled. The Cooper Gang started losing faith in their plan. Contingencies were Alauna's way of saying, more players on the chessboards. She drew her staff, creeping silently.

"Soon, dear, you and the entire Cooper Gang will be joined in Hell."

"Will you be joining us?" The woman whisked around. Alauna teed off the mystery woman's head, sending her flying into a small tower. Carmelita released a breath of relief, wiggling off the whip. The woman balanced a hand to the wall climbing to her feet. Alauna shoved her against the wall with the body of her staff, planting a foot on her toe and the staff at her neck. "HURRY! BLOW THE WALL!"

Carmelita scooped up the revolver, ran for the wall. The guards already had Sly, Slytunkhamen, and Murray restrained by the arms. The X's were clear. Carmelita intensified the heat. 1-2-3! Three condensed fireballs screeched like fireworks through the air. Heads jerked to the sky. Loud fiery explosions blew gaping, crumbling holes in the side and fore walls. Guards, people, Pardelaytra, and Contessa ducked. Screams of horror moaned as the walls started to crumble around them. In seconds they scrambled like ants.

"GO! GO! GO!" Carmelita screamed in coms.

"INITIATE INTERCEPTION!" Contessa cried. A shadow whisked overhead. Alauna and Carmelita froze. The pinned woman sniggered.

 **(-)**

"Time to go!" Murray punched the six guards into the stampede. Sly led Slytunkhamen for the stage steps.

A mecha falcon cracked the ground in a devastating landing. Huge, brass wings spread, and glow yellow eyes frightened the escaping prisoners back. The falcon towered itself over its prey, growing taller as they shrank in fear. "You're not going anywhere!" The Contessa leapt off the balcony, landing on the other side of Murray. She spread her claws.

"BENTLEY!" Murray cried.

 **(-)**

"WAY AHEAD OF YOU!" Bentley stroked a couple keys. The GPS Radar registered the falcons, including the one trapping Sly and the others. He activated the three second timer...the falcons were still online. "What?" They would drop from radar if offline. He ran the program one more time. Nothing. "Uh-oh…"

 **(-)**

Sly, Murray, and Carmelita watched the falcon, waiting for it to do...ANYTHING! "Bentley…?" Alauna moaned, unnerved by the lack of progress. The pinned woman continued to snigger.

" _I...I...I don't know what's wrong!_ " Bentley hyperventilated. Alauna's strength was wavering.

 **(-)**

"The falcons should be...what happened?" Bentley clamped his helmet in frustration. A message appeared on his screen, bearing a familiar mouse shaped symbol _Hack Attack Denied. Please try again._ "What the-"

" _Aww...what's the matter, Bentley? Not used to having your hack attack repelled._ "

"That voice…"

 **(-)**

The Falcon's chest opened with a hissing cloud of steam. Sly and Murray were utterly dumbstruck. As the steam cleared, a grinning Penelope rubbed their failure in their faces. "Hello, Cooper Gang."

"PENELOPE!" Murray and Sly growled.

 **(-)**

"Penelope?" Carmelita and Alauna gasped confused. The woman kicked Alauna back with both feet, knocking her to the ground. She took up the staff and pinned Alauna in turnabout.

 **(-)**

"Penelope?!" Bentley's heart broke. How she hacked their communications and his trojan bomb didn't matter. Penelope was there. In ancient Egypt. Just beyond the wall.

" _Nice try with the Trojan Bomb, shortstuff._ " She mocked him. " _But, once again, I'm one step ahead._ " Bentley bit his lip.

 **(-)**

"NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!" Alauna roared, pushing back.

"You always were a boastful prat, Alauna!" The woman berated Alauna's bravado. The way she said Alauna's name bothered her. "But I'm afraid not even you can change what is to come."

"Don't be so sure! After all," Alauna dug a foot in the woman's stomach, "I'm not one for following design." She swung back and kicked the woman off. She cracked her back on a wall, falling head first unconscious. She snatched her revolver from Carmelita. The two ran at full speed and leapt off the roof. Pardelaytra glanced up as shadows surrounded him. Alauna and Carmelita smashed him in the ground.

"GET DOWN!" They aimed their guns and fired. Murray covered Slytunkhamen and Sly to the ground. Penelope and Contessa faced the balcony. Fire and Shock bolts struck them both dead on, throwing them to the dirt. "HURRY!" Carmelita pleaded. "WE HAVE TO GO!" Murray tossed the raccoons over his shoulder and made a mad dash for the escape route. Carmelita was already climbing to the roof. Alauna was right behind her.

"NOT SO QUICK!" A hand yanked her foot. Alauna caught herself on her hands. She gasped at the fuming Pardelaytra. "You're not…" He trailed off. He and Alauna locked gazes. An odd sensation flowed through them. As if...they were facing a mirror. The moment was short lived when Carmelita shot him, rendering him unconscious. Alauna shook off the sensation, and Pardelaytra's hand, and she and Carmelita were up and over.

Murray threw himself in the driver's seat. Carmelita took the passenger. Sly behind him. Alauna bunked with Bentley in the back. "PUNCH IT!" Sly howled. The van was already launching to the desert, going for Slytunkhamen's second hideout.

 **(-)**

The Contessa threw off the dust and grass, frothing like a rabid dog at the mouth. Penelope flicked the unflattering dust off her mech. "Get them...get after them…" Contessa erupted in utter rage, "GET THOSE BLASTED THIEVES NOW!"

 **(-)**

 **(Sly POV)**

 _Murray held no prisoners shredding the desert. Every dune in his way he just burst right through it, dead set on reaching the hideout._ _Alauna and Bentley untied Slytunkhamen. He bowed gratefully. Sly and Carmelita welcomed him on the ride._ _As we started to relax too soon, everything went downhill._ _Sly points to something in side view mirror. Everyone looks. Complete fear gripped them._

 _Like a storm cloud on the horizon, this armada of Penelope's falcons covered the sky. Their screeches more shrill than howling winds. The sun bouncing off their armor flashed like lightning. The power of their wings - thunder._ _Murray flipped a lid on the stick shift and pressed a button_ _._ _Thinking fast, Murray activated the rocket._ _The sudden burst sucked everyone to the seats and walls. Murray cackled like a mad man._

 _As Murray seemed to gain us distance, m_ _assive shadows flew from the sand. The wind and speed formed a sand wave,_ _SOMETHING unleashed this tidal wave of dust and sand. It lifted the van and tossed us._ _The van spun in the air a few times, landing perfectly on its wheels. Albeit a pile of sand on every side._ _We tried to see what that huge 'bird' was, but saw nothing except the growing closer falcons. Seeing no other option, Murray veered us in another direction, leading the flock - and whatever threw us for a loop - far from the hideout. Unfortunately, Murray was driving us straight for, what Slytunkhamen assures us is, a sudden drop into a bottomless gorge._ _Alauna and Carmelita fired like mad on falcons that got too close. They wouldn't be able to keep it up forever._

 _We had...no plan!_ _Sly presses a hand to his forehead, unable to believe...they were caught._ _Either drop into the gorge coming up, or go down fighting._ _Sad, defeated expressions were shared. Carmelita and Sly snuggled close. Alauna slumped next to Bentley. Slytunkhamen shared their resignation._ _We were done. Then Murray hatched another plan._ _Murray howls at Bentley to fire up the time machine. Desperate, Bentley does as he says._

 _The gorge was coming up quick. Whatever Murray was about to do, let him do soon!_ _Murray spreads shoulders, challenging the obstacle._ _We all closed our eyes, saying a prayer._ _Murray ripped off his aboriginal necklace and threw it into the receptacle. Bentley, Carmelita, and Bentley gaped in hope, finding Murray to be a genius._ _Murray weaved the van to a jump. He put on the gas, fired the rocket, and launched above the gorge._ _Out of control streams and flashes surrounded the van._ _The time machine reacted just in time to Murray's necklace. And just like that..._ _Falcons swooped in, talons bared... A burst of energy swallowed the van_ _...we were gone._ _The Falcons collided with the gorge, exploding to pieces._

 _The Contessa and Penelope arrived, angrily swatting the dirt. The massive Avian shadow stretched over them like a daunting omen. They cringed, laughing nervously._

 _Once again Murray saved our lives. And the second we land, we're going to have a game plan ready to deal with whatever time terrors Penelope decided to cook up._

 **To be continued**


	10. Walk like A Cave Raccoon

**Walk like**

 **A**

 **Cave Raccoon**

 **Alright. Moving on.**

…

Master computers consumed half a large, oval shaped room. Maps pertaining to lands of a different era, plans to intercept the Cooper Gang as well as a list mapping their movements. Other computers ran diagnostics on a rather eccentrically made blimp. Three blimps made to fit one to be precise. Scaling from the largest up to the smallest of the three, fashioned together pathways, motors, and hot air balloon kept the leviathan blimp in the air. Constant maintenance kept it together. The rest of the computers not for the collaborated blimp fed live feeds from security cameras, and monitored all super highway research. Including a formula for top notch anti-itch cream.

Penelope's fingers typed at the speed of light, running scan after scan on the residual time energy the Cooper Van left behind over the gorge. The trail was more of a brief burst staining the air. She was able to isolate it from any other air contaminants. A circular aura of left over floated in the middle of the gorge. Crunching harder, Penelope managed to discover the thinnest trail stretching into nothing. Instead of manually following the trail, Penelope channeled her data and the fuel into the higher grade Time Machine Arpeggio employed. To her eternal joy, he theory was on the spot. The time machine carried her data, snaking the trail through the time vortex, on the tail of the Cooper Gang.

Beady avian eyes bore holes in her back. Not as harsh as the eyes that have been glaring at The Contessa, and the masked woman. Their miserable failure back in Egypt cost them the Cooper Gang and Sly Cooper. The only consolation prize was the matter contained inside the mechanical millipede. A new age of thieves will be born with what The Contessa retrieved. Other than that, Contessa and the Agent needed to be punished.

Arpeggio emerged ahead from the darkness. The heavy steps of his prosthetic cage legs shook the control room asunder. Contessa and the Masked Woman stood strong. Beneath the crawling skin were shaking nerves. His associate chose to remain in the shadows, assured that Arpeggio will get the message across. "Every contingency." Arpeggio's words hissed venomously. "Every contingency was planned for. That is what you promised me!" He roared mostly at Contessa. She was the General in charge of the operation. This failure rested solely on her. "Then _you_ do not expect a sneak attack! AFTER having your hind quarters handed to you once before!" He diverted blame to the masked woman. "Are you both suffering from mental afflictions? Or was Penelope simply mistaken in recruiting you?"

"The only mistake was not killing Slytunkhamen when we had the chance!" Contessa roared. She refused to take full blame for a plan that was foolhardy the second it reached the drawing board. "By eliminating at least _ONE_ of the Cooper Ancestors, we can wipe out the Cooper family line!"

"My Dear, you do not appreciate the nuances of this plan." The shadowed operative purred, chuckling mockingly. "Eliminating an ancestor is too easy. Unsatisfying." A toothy grin shown through the shadows. "We want Sly Cooper and his family to suffer. To come to the realization their family lineage is nothing."

"And how do you plan to do that?" The masked woman challenged.

"The Contessa already performed a small portion of the plan." He, of course, was mentioning what the millipede contained. "The pièce de résistance, My Dear Contessa, is the stain on the Cooper Family worse than a black sheep."

Contessa's dower glare brightened with hope. The masked woman's ears bounced "What would that be?" She asked, humming excitedly.

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait." Arpeggio chortled. Beeping drew him to the master computer. Penelope twisted round, folding her arms and leaning to the computer proudly. She located the Cooper Gang in what was once the Ice Age. Arpeggio chuckled. "All good things are even better when awaited. And our Ice Age friend has been waiting for far too long."

…

 **(Sly POV)**

 _Murray clinging to the van steering wheel. Carmelita and Sly holding on tight to one another. Bentley hugging his instruments. Alauna anchoring a wounded Slytunkhamen to the floor._

 _The trip - as violent and wild as a hurricane - was an absolute blur. The only thing anyone remembers is being smacked against the walls, fighting desperately to not fly out of the van._

 _The van was being tossed in the time rift, ricocheting of the celestial stream. Sparks dispersed powerful pulses, launching the van in one direction. The van bounced off another pulse, flying backwards. Three more struck the van, sending it barreling through the stream._

 _Our bodies were being sucked into the seats and walls. Sudden jerks collided us with the interior. It was like being punched by a heavy weight champion made of stone._

 _Murray's face smashed on the wheel. Bentley hit his head on the ceiling. Sly and Carmelita cracked heads. Slytunkhamen lost consciousness in the tension. Something hit Alauna on the back of the head._

 _The van was just tossed like a paperweight! We were beat like cheap eggs! All at once we just lost consciousness. The power surging through that vortex constricted every muscle. The world going black, and the van left to the mercy of the time stream._

 _A white light consumed the van. For a few seconds there was nothing.  A dense haze consumed them. Then hollow whistles of wind blew snow onto Sly's nose. The sudden cold stirred him. His eyes fluttered open, clearing the blurriness. Mushrooms were the first to come into view._

 _My body was thrashed. I wasn't sure if I was dead or if a rock was holding me down. The good news is it was , if I was dead, I wouldn't be feeling much of anything._

 _Sly moved a hand forward. Powdery snow folded over his fingers as he pushed up. The wind became stronger. Sly shielded his eyes from blustery snow. He was dismayed by an unconscious Carmelita. He gently shook her awake, greeting his disoriented love with a warm smile. He propped her to a boulder, urging her to stay still._

 _I wasn't too surprised by where we ended up. We were back in the Ice Age. A land of dinosaurs, prehistoric penguins, and home to my ancestor, Bob. By the looks of things, we ended up near where we made a makeshift hideout. Perfect. We weren't going to have to hike again._ _Sly exhaled with relief. Carmelita tugged Sly's sleeve, gesturing to the area around them._ _Unfortunately the moment was short lived._

 _Sly scans the area in dismay._ _Carmelita and I were the only ones there. Bentley and The others were...GONE! So was the van! And there was a blizzard._ _A wall of snow blows past Sly and Carmelita. The two were not amused being left with snow beards, mustaches, and hats. They shake it away._ _I hope the others found shelter._ _Sly finds piece of time machine._ _Because it doesn't seem like we're getting out of here any time soon. Again._ _Sly slumps annoyed._ _Why does it seem like the Ice Age likes to try and strand us?_

…

Sly helped Carmelita into the old cave hideout. A large lump on the back of her head made it difficult for her to walk in a straight line. The wind moaned loudly blowing around the dome shaped shelter. Thankfully the cave was ten times warmer than outside. But Sly would need to gather some firewood later. Night was swiftly approaching. Ice tends to form overnight. Carmelita was in no shape to be frozen to death. For that matter, neither was Sly. He worried more for her than himself though.

Bob seemed to have made himself a secondary home out of the place. Fur carpeting was lying everywhere, and curtains were crudely staked to cover the windows. On a slab serving as a table was a dead plant. Oddly it added a rather comfortable homey feeling.

Sly used the carpets to make a soft place for Carmelita. He put a fur over her, then sat beside her to keep watch. "How's that?" He asked

Carmelita giggled adoringly. Sly truly was a gentleman. "This is fine, Ringtail. Thank you." Sly nodded, pleased to hear that. He took out the binocucom and tried to raise anyone on the feed. On the bright side he could see out the other end. And his video feed was streaming clear. The other end was littered with static.

"Bentley? Murray? Allie? Anyone there?" Sly called. Only static answered him. "Ugh! Storm must be interfering!" He growled.

"What now?" Carmelita leaned on her elbows.

"We'll have to wait. Let the storm die down." He gently coaxed her to lie down. "For now you get some rest. We'll need our strength if we're going to find the guys later." Finding the others is only half the problem. Sly had, in his hand, a piece of the time machine. He prayed that, for once, it's only a small chunk Bentley can weld back on and they'll flying through time again.

"Maybe I'll wake up with amnesia and you and I can pretend I'm a thief." She dryly joked.

"Not a bad idea." Sly laughed. He hummed pensively, rubbing his chin. "You can be...the one that causes distractions and provides an exit plan."

"Isn't that what Alauna is for?" She said Alauna's name with a note of disgust.

"No. Allie's job is to clear a path if people get in the way. You, ma'am, would be the one dropping jaws." He winked.

"You mean after I drop kick them, right?"

The two shared a nice laugh. Carmelita felt the throbbing ease in her head. A warmth fluttered her chest. Sly was overcome with joy. It really has been a long time since they've enjoyed each other's company...without subterfuge in the middle. Were it that it could be this way all the time. Just the two of them. But - the elephant in the room - who would be willing to give up their occupation to be with the other?

"Do you think the others are alright?" Carmelita asked.

"I'm sure they are." Sly glanced, feeling disconcerted by the white out. "I just hope they're warm."

…

A smoked, pink object rocketed from a geyser. " _YAAAHHH-HOOO-HOOO-HOOO-WEEEE!_ " Murray belly flopped to a solid floor of ice. "Ohh..."" Stars circled his dizzy head. The whole room was spinning. And his tail was on fire. Literally. He managed to shake off enough to recognize where he had landed. "Whoa..." He licked his fingers, then pinched the little flame out. He landed in the place Grizz turned into a horribly decorated penthouse. The rock formation in the middle was where Bob was tied down. It brought back good memories. "I wonder how Bob's doing."

Murray put the binocucom on. He let it rest on his snout, too tired to actually hold it. "Murray to Cooper Gang and Carmelita. Come in..." Static hissed in the outgoing screen. Violent winds could be heard howling over the arena. "A storm must be cutting us off." He picked himself up, dusting ice from his shirt and mask. He meandered to the edge. Putting a hand to his forehead like a visor, Murray studied the old arena. He sneered at the geyser he'd miraculously landed in. Now he's stuck in an icy penthouse surrounded by pools of lava.

"Why am I always the one landing in hot situations?" A more important question was how did he plan to get out of there? Sly made it with his thieve skills and climbing. Looking at his rotund figure, Murray wasn't going to be able to make that trip. There was one bright side to his situation. "Grizz had to lug his butt up here somehow." Murray scanned the penthouse. He spotted some sort of weird tunnel in the next room. "Oh well. Better than staying here." As Murray trudged for the tunnel, something caught his attention. A wheel sticking out from under a pile of snow. Murray wasn't knowledgeable like Bentley, but he knew wheels like that weren't even close to being invented. "Maybe something Grizz left behind."

Murray pulled the wheel. It was heavier than he expected. It was attached to something else. He grabbed the wheel with both hands and pulled. A familiar wheelchair emerged, robbing the color from Murray's cheeks. "Bentley's chair! BENTLEY!" He howled at the top of his lungs. "LITTLE BUDDY! SPEAK TO ME!" He dug up the snow, tossed some ice, and looked under a rock. His stomach curdled when he turned to the lava pool. Murray put his hands together and started praying, "Oh please invisible spirit people who have been looking over us all these years!" He dropped to his knees. "Please let my little buddy be trapped in a cave somewhere! Please, please, PLLEEAASSEE..."

…

The storm was really coming down hard. Dinosaurs and other locals had long since ducked for cover in caves heated by tarpits, lava pools, and hot rocks. Some weren't as lucky, and were buried beneath blankets of snow, soon to be food for scavengers.

Penguins waddled for their lives deep inside a large cave. They skipped on one foot making a sudden dash down the left tunnel of a fork, grunting bloody murder. A small shine pierced the right tunnel's shadows. Alauna emerged from cover, sheathing her shoto sword.

"Smart birds." She smirked. Tucked under her arms were planks of bark, some sticks, and log. Tiptoeing, she turned on her heels and headed further inside.

Propped against a dead end wall were a sleeping Bentley and Slytunkhamen. The two were shivering fiercely. Slytunkhamen's wounds were being clotted by ice. Bentley's running nose was frozen. The cave made it less cold than outside, but it was still cold. What with night approaching, it'll be dangerous for those two. She'll need to find something to tend to Slytunkhamen's wounds.

A pile of anything wood was stacked in the center. More was put in two other piles against the walls. Alauna had done a bit of wood collecting some time after the crash. What she really needed were blankets, food, and water. All of which were in the van that was nowhere to be seen. Alauna decreased the power of her revolver. She held it close to the pile and pulled the trigger. A small flame ignited the wood into a growing bonfire. A warm glow lit up the cave instantly. Luckily the cave wasn't made of ice. The fire would last for an hour or two.

It probably went without saying, but Alauna was worried about Slytunkhamen. Not just for his health. He was pluck from his era, taken back to the age where ice covered the world and all the continents were connected. She worried they've altered time.

"That's a bridge I need to address when we come to it." So far nothing seemed wrong. Though being 65 million years in the past, there probably wouldn't be.

"Ugh..." Bentley started to stir.

"Welcome back, Brainly." Alaua chortled. "How do you feel?"

"Like turtle soup." He groaned, holding his throbbing head. Alauna put a chunk of ice on his head. Not the best idea with how cold it is, but the only thing to help with his head. "Did you find my chair?" Alauna shook her head apologetically. "What about the others?"

"The storm's interfering with the binocucoms. I can't raise anyone." She reached around. "And I found this." She showed Bentley what appeared to be a piece of the time machine. If Bentley's head wasn't so sore it would have exploded.

"That's a piece of the time receptacle!" He blurted, wincing under sharp pain. "It must have been damaged when we came tearing through the time stream."

"We were tossed around pretty hard." Her back still hurt from the ride. "Poor Slytunkhamen." She tore cloth from the ragged shirt his body barely hung to. She dabbed beads of sweat and melted as much ice from the wounds as she could. "He's running a fever." Listening to the wind echoing inside, Alauna was disheartened by the storm's ferocity. "He won't survive like this."

"We've gotta...help him..." Bentley pushed up. He dug around in his shell. Thankfully he saved the IPad. He found a reference guide for flora indigenous to the Ice Age Era. _Fever's_ weren't discovered until millennia after fire and the wheel. But that didn't mean the populace at the time didn't know how to mind their health. "You're gonna want to look for these three mushrooms, two of these leaves, and a beaker full of this sap." Conveniently he had a little container she could put it in.

Alauna studied the items Bentley found. A blue and white splotched mushroom, a red and black striped mushroom, and mushroom similar to a toadstool. The leaves were large, thick, and had lime green veins snaking them. The sap was more of a gel secreted by the stem of one of the tall plants.

"If we leave now we should-"

"Hold it." Alauna cradled him, keeping him from pushing himself too soon. "No offense, Bentley, but you're in no shape to do anything. Not in this weather."

A vein popped in Bentley's head. 'What's that mean?!" He snarled. Alauna was filled with dread. She stepped on THE land mine. "You don't want a crippled man slowing you down?!"

"I didn't say that and you know it." Alauna retorted gently, but with a stern stare. Bentley's pent up agitation quickly deflated when he realized how fast he'd jump to conclusions.

Bentley never showed it, but being stuck in the chair bothered him to no end. True he enjoyed being the most dangerous thing on wheels since tanks. But he missed being able to walk around, feel the dirt beneath his feet. Sometimes, when he saw the others walk or made cracks about watching his step, he felt mocked. His heart knew his friends would never do that. But his mind couldn't help consider the possibility.

"I''m sorry, Alauna. I just..." Bentley trailed off. He felt naked without his chair. Alauna's revolver dangled by his face. "Huh?"

"You ever used one?" Bentley's rumbling told her no. Alauna ran over the basics. "Keep this dial on five. Powerful enough to stun, not kill." She stressed that part, knowing Bentley would hate to kill someone. "Pull the hammer back, make sure to aim carefully, keep your hand steady, and pull the trigger." She reset the hammer, not wanting an accidental misfire. "Couldn't be simpler." She set the gun beside him.

"But...why-?"

"I need you to keep Slytunkhamen safe until I get back."

"No way. You won't survive in a storm like this." Bentley protested.

"There's no time to argue." Alauna moved wood close to Bentley. "Keep the fire alive. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Alauna! Wait!" Alauna was already out the cave. Bentley groaned irritably. "That girl..."

"She does seem rather impetuous." Slytunkhamen sniggered, coming around.

"Impetuous is too kind a term." Bentley groaned. "She's a regular tempter of fate."

…

Sly re-entered the hideout with logs and sticks in hand. He had cut section from one of the carpets and used it as a makeshift coat to fend the cold air. Carmelita was sound asleep, snug as a prehistoric bug. Sly put the logs inside a small pit Bob seemed to have dug up not too long ago. He was a little surprised they hadn't seen Bob yet.

"Wonder what Bob's up to." Sly knelt to the pit. He found a couple of rocks. Perfect for being used as flint rocks. He struck them once...twice...thrice. Sparks created a small fire. Sly steadily fed it with huffs of breath.

Carmelita stirred from her slumber hearing Sly feed the fire. She slowly sat up, stretching her arms over her head. A pleasant crack soothed her neck and back. She sighed with relief. She glanced to an exposed window. It was dark outside, but she could still see large snowballs raining down. Miraculously, small orange glows of torches were noticeable. She was stunned they were still lit. Hopefully it was a sign the storm would be calming in a short while.

The torch glows dimmed then brightened again. "Hm?" Carmelita knit her brow. A trick of the snow, maybe? She squinted, watching the touches intensely. Rapid scuffling caught her. She darted her head to the left. More scuffling to the right. Shadows skated by the torches. "Sly..." She whispered, going for her gun.

"I know." He grasped his cane. "So much for our vacation." He rumbled.

"Oh well. Not like we weren't going to get up and go anyway." Carmelita shrugged. Sly had to give her that one. Muttering and hungry growls were heard circling the hideout. Sly motioned for Carmelita to head up. She studied the ceiling and nodded. Sly suffocated the fire with a rug. The hiss and dying flame prompted the mysterious visitors to barge in.

A mammoth, saber tooth tiger, and dodo growled, rolling beady eyes over the seemingly empty hideaway. The wood for that fire they saw had yet to so much as blacken. The fresh smell of smoke was clung to the air.

"They're still here..." The mammoth snorted the air. "I can smell the stench of their fur."

"But where?" The saber snarled. The cave was big but there weren't many places to hide. "Do you think they are outside?"

"No way they are that bird brained." The Dodo itched the side of his head with his talons. "They'll catch their deaths out there."

"It ain't no better in here." A woman chuckled. The trio whirled around. Carmelita and Sly grinned.

From outside, a massive commotion could be heard tearing the inside of the hideout apart. Cats meowing, punches and smacks thunking, Sly, the guards, and Carmelita grunting, and whole symphony of cartoonish violence. The saber tried to crawl to freedom. A black eye was swollen. He screamed as he was dragged back by his feet. Cane swipes, shock pistol bursts, rocks being smashed. Bloodcurdling screams wailed from the guards. One final boom flipped the hideout roof, and it came crashing back into place. Then it went quiet.

The mammoth, saber, and dodo were tossed on their rumps. Carmelita and Sly exited the hideout, clapping dust from their palms. "I think these guys got out of shape since we left." Sly remarked.

"As if they were ever a real challenge to begin with." Carmelita stomped the mammoth's face in the snow. She looked ahead and behind. No one else was around for miles. And she's sure no one saw them arrive. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Aside from the fact that these guys need a bath?" Sly joked with a note a disgust. Other _homes_ were also lit by fire. Yet their hideout was the one bombarded. "It was no coincidence they found us here. Someone knows we're here."

"Grizz?"

"No. He's still in prison."

"So was Contessa. Thanks to Penelope, she's out and walking free."

"Good point." Sly considered Penelope's position. "She may be the one who told the mammoths where we are."

"How would she know EXACTLY where?" Carmelita questioned skeptically.

"I'm thinking she just knows we wound up here." He gestures to the Ice Age around them. "These bozos must have taken a blind shot in where we would hold up."

"Still, we shouldn't take that chance." Carmelita used her binocucom to study the surrounding area. Close to the river were more cave systems. "Let's head underground. Wait out the storm there."

"Good idea." Sly skipped back in the hideout and came back out with two fur rugs. Carmelita raised a brow. "What? It gets chilly and the van has the hot cocoa." Carmelita rolled her eyes, trudging down a slope. Sly shrugged following after her.

The crown on a nearby mushroom popped up, revealing a spy camera. The scope zoomed in and out. The lense focusing on Carmelita and Sly as they disappeared down the slope.

…

"Yeah, I got the varmints..." A gruff southern voice rumbled. His eyes were glued to the monitor. "Handled those boys faster than a rabbit on red bull!" A hand pressed rewind, bringing the video to the moment Carmelita inspected the lower levels. No sound forced him to read lips. "Cooper and Fox are headin' fur the caves. You said the rest of that blasted gang was here."

" _The turtle and hippo,_ " Arpeggio reassured the impatient man, " _Along with a young female snow leopard, and an Egyptian Raccoon._ "

"Well there's only one raccoon and a fox!" He leaned in a recliner, huffing steam from wide nostrils. "Either they got lost in Egypt..." He pressed another button. Camera feeds showed up of other areas around the area, "Or they've gone their separate ways."

" _Not by choice, I am certain. What with their brief reunion._ " Arpeggio hummed thoughtfully. " _Their departure from the desert was far from smooth. Perhaps they are scattered._ "

Thick lips parted in a hungry smile. "Then it's high time I initiate the oldest of strategies to deal with mah pest problem." He chuckled.

" _Which is?_ "

"Dee-vide and KILL!" An intercom button was pressed. "Attention you Jurassic chumps! We got six unwanted guests lurkin' the grounds! Two raccoons, a turtle, fox, hippo, and snow leopard! Find 'em and skin 'em alive!" Echoes of his voice reaching radios scuffled the mic. "And keep yer eyes peeled for that blasted cave raccoon. Him and that friend of his are startin' tuh chap mah hide!"

…

"Wee-hooo...!" Murray waved his hands in the air, riding an icy slide to a blanket of snow. Bentley's wheelchair smoothly coasted to a halt his back. Murray marveled at the slide he took for a quick spin. "I so need to do that again." He hopped to his feet. "Maybe Allie will wanna-whoa..." He hummed, spotting a familiar ice rink. "Grizz's old fighting arena." The tunnel Sly and the others watched him battle Grizz from was still there too. "I wonder if the that weird conveyer thingy still works." He sauntered to the tunnel. The conveyer belt he mentioned should take him outside to the front of Grizz's old fortress.

"Man...I hope the guys are alright." Murray meandered past a den obscured by snow. Golden eyes glowed dangerously in the hue, shifting to Murray. Razor sharp fangs shown in a malicious growl. "Hey! Maybe they're back at the old hideout!" A neanderthal figure silently emerged from the cover of the den. A long, spotted tail twitched excitedly. Dinosaur and Saber teeth decorated the loin cloth. Hot breath hissed past the dripping fangs. A pink tongue hungrily lathered lips. Murray tapped his head, drilling harshly. He knocked on that hollow skull. "Now...where was that place again?" Muscular golden fur arms spread. Inch thick, long fingers stiffly curled. Thick, snow cutting feline nails sprouted. "I' sure it was...huh?" His shadow grew taller. And bigger. And his nails - nails? Murray doesn't have nails. And that growling against his neck wasn't his stomach.

Murray's spine turned to ice. A large lump swallowed, plummeting into the pit of his stomach. He tilted his head up. Water dripped to his cheeks. His eyes flew wide open. A very vicious looking feline towered over him, baring rows of filed teeth. "Oh-my-" The feline unleashed a mighty roar. Murray screamed throwing his hands in the air, running for his shortened life. The largely spotted feline crouched on its haunches, digging its claws in the ground, and charged after Murray.

Snow barely melted into heated rock ass Murray was roughly tackled to the ground. He frantically pushed the prehistoric feline, prying the massive jaws from ripping his throat apart. The feline grappled the ground, pulling the full brunt of its weight on Murray. The foul fumes of its breath made Murray's eyes water. "NO WAY...KITTY CAT! YOU AREN'T EATING THE MURRAY!" Murray freed one hand, dealing a swift punch across the cat's face. He rolled on top, throwing punch after punch. The feline held its arms up. The toned muscles absorbed the punches, but were starting to become sore. The feline caught fist, crushing it in the palm of its hand. Then it swiped its claws. Three gashes toppled Murray over.

Top and bottom, Murray and the feline wrestled fiercely for dominance. All the while not noticing an approaching ledge. Murray punched, the feline scratched. There was a headbutt, followed biting. Eye poking, and spitting. A sudden, refreshing feeling of weightlessness gripped the valiantly struggling wrestlers.

Murray and the feline looked down. A sheer drop robbed their courage. Murray and the cat cringed, hugging closely in fright. The two plummeted, screaming in dire peril. The screaming fell silent. A coasting pulley rope carried one of the familiar Pterodactyl egg nests along the line. Murray and the cat trembled in each other's arms.

"Huh? HEY! BACK OFF!" Murray shoved the cat off. He got a good look at his worthy opponent. It was a Cave Leopard. Same charming demeanor as Bob. "Listen up, Pussy-Cat! I don't know who you think you are but-" Murray's threat came to a crashing halt when he realized something very important. "HOLY HOT DOGS AND HOTCAKES! BENTLEY'S CHAIR!" He gaped at the ledge steadily growing farther and farther away. "Aw man...Bentley won't be able to move around without it."

The cave leopard itched his head, confused by Murray's rambling. He scaled the basket, climbing to the rope. "HEY! GET BACK HERE!" Murray lurched as far over the edge as he could. "I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!" The cave leopard swung hand over hand, landing square on the ledge. Murray growled vengefully. He wanted to punch that leopard's dentures right from his mouth. "Great...what can I going to tell Bentley?" Murray dreaded, leaning on the edge somberly. "Maybe I can lie and say it fell in the lava pool."

A loud thud shook the basket. Murray jumped. Bentley's chair was in the basket. "WOW!" The leopard landed in the basket, smiling childishly. He looked more like a dog when he wagged his tail. "You went to get the chair? Wow...uh...thanks." The cave leopard surprised Murray by trailing a long, slimy tongue up his cheek. Murray groan slickly. A bucket of spit soaked his mask and shirt. "Yeah...thanks..." _I swear if Bob is wearing a leopard costume..._ Murray took off the shirt and mask and wrung them out. The cave leopard shyly looked the other way. Murray put his things back on, but they were still drenched in cat spit.

Overhead the conveyer, claws and talons gripped the cave edges. Sabers and Dodos cackled. They moved with the conveyer, never losing sight of the hippo dinner and the new throw rug.

…

"GRRR...HMMFF...DOOO...!" Alauna had her feet plastered to the icy rock wall. Her fingers strangled the base of an eight foot tall, three foot thick leaf. The plants must have been anchored by nails, duct tape, and a whole lard vat of super glue. She's been pulling since the sun set half an hour ago. The ends of her fur grew icicles. "THE JURASSIC...ERA!" She grunted. Turning over she attempted to rend the leaf from its rooted place over her shoulder. "COME FOR THE SIGHTS! THE RO...MANCE..." She pulled with all her strength. The slipped her grip. "OOF!" She impatiently drummed her fingers, melting her face full of snow. "Just don't pick the plants! They won't let you!"

She breathed hot air on her palms then rubbed them together. Picking the leaves Bentley needed was proving difficult. She already tried cutting them. The slice and cut marks at the base prove it. She's never missed Murray so much. She didn't want to shoot it loose. It might burst into flames.

"Faith and begorrah..." She dropped, folding her legs. She leaned an elbow on her thigh. Her fuming irritation protected her rump from the frigid cold. "Maybe I can dig it out."

Air shifted sharply on her back. Alauna twisted to see what. Nothing but ice, snow, and strange stone monuments with penguin engravings on them. The only strange thing was a long log sitting on a block of ice in water. Alauna shrugged and returned to the plant.

"There must be a way to get these." She mumbled. She needed to ascertain how fast. If it gets any later she'll freeze to death. "Perhaps a rock?"

The air shifted again. Only this time something swiped her hair. Alauna yelped, squaring to her feet. The snowfall was so thick she couldn't see past the first two stone monuments. A huge mass rifled the powdery air. Alauna's heartbeat quickened. Heavy, drawn out, languorous breathing made her skin want to crawl off. She kept her back pressed to the plants. Her hand rested to the revolver. She squinted hard to try and see in the blizzard. Shuffling snow became louder. Hard pressed footsteps ground it to the dirt below. The mass she spotted before slowly blackened, growing taller...and bigger.

Alauna drew the revolver. She spun the dial to high. The hammer was cocked. "M-M-Murray?!" She shivered. Her fingers were so cold she could barely shape the finger to rest on the trigger. The figure was getting closer. The snow huffed whenever it breathed. "Murray! I swear! If that's you!"

"/Murray _?_ /" A slurred, slightly incoherent grunting trilled. Definitely not Murray. Alauna was amazed she deciphered Murray's name. "/You know Murray?/"

Alauna relaxed hearing the figure say his name. "Um...yes? He's one of my best friends." She answered cautiously. A furry brown foot stepped into sight. Alauna raised a brow. The figure wore a type of leopard skin loin cloth. She trailed gaping eyes and a slacked jaw up and up as the toned figure came into view. She was utterly dumbstruck. The goofy face, the ringtail, the unforgettable stench of troublemaking. "Faith...and...beh-gor-rah!" It was a seven foot tall cave raccoon.

The cave raccoon broke her personal space, sniffing up and down every inch of her numb body. Alauna had to hold on for dear life he was smelling her so roughly. He lifted her by the arm, licked her face, smelt her foot, tasted her hair. "/You seem familiar./" Alauna was lurched forward, drenching in fur, spit, and snow. All that for THAT! She roared mentally. "/Do I know you?/"

"Noo..." She grumbled, shaking off the cave raccoon's essence. "But I think I know you. Are you _Bob_ Cooper?" He excitedly bobbed his head. Globs of spit flew everywhere. Alauna was so stunned she ignored the spit on his shoes. "Oh my! That makes you the very first Cooper!" Even he looks like Sly. She could hardly believe it. The looks passed on for generations. "It's truly an honor, Bob. My name's Alauna. Alauna Lea Pard."

"/Leopard _?_ /" Bob itched his left ear.

"Close enough." She waved off. She was too amazed to care. Alauna heard about the ancestors from Murray and Bentley. They never stressed how much like Sly they looked. Slytunkhamen could be Sly's twin. It made her excited to meet the other ancestors.

"/Where is Murray? And Sly and Bentley?/"

Alauna mentally cursed herself. "Sly and Murray - I haven't a clue. Bentley's at a cave with...an injured friend." Mentioning Slytunkhamen will be far less satisfying than letting Bib meet him. She can only imagine Slytunkhamen's face. "I need these leaves, some gooey sap, and three mushrooms to help him." She showed him the pictures on Bentley's tablet.

"/Hey, I know where these are!/" Bob announced happily.

"You do?! Can you help me? Our friend needs them right away!"

With no effort at all, Bob ripped the two leaves right off. Alauna stood there with her jaw to the grounds. I hate him so much right now. "/Come on! This'll be quick!/" Bob picked her up and threw her on his back. She didn't like where this was going. "/Hold on tight!/" She grabbed three fistfuls of hair. "/AWAY WE GO!/" Bob dug his massive paws, and launched in a full throttle charge.

 **...**

Sly helped Carmelita lower herself to the crescent shaped cave along the riverbed. The only two ways inside were barred by flowing ice and water. Lining the very ledge, a rock wall offered enough cover from the wind. The holes let Carmelita peer to spot any visitors.

"I'm getting worried." Sly whispered in case someone walking above heard him. "Communications are still down and the storm isn't lightening up."

"Looks like we're in a rough night." Carmelita set up one rug on the ground. "Might as well get some rest while you can."

"Wait. Me?" Sly questioned , sounding a little insulted.

"I've gotten some sleep." She loaded her shock pistol, and flaunted her clearly rejuvenated body. "One of us needs to keep watch while the other rests."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Sly wasn't going to step on that one twice. He lied on the rug and pulled the second one over him. Carmelita nodded. That's another argument to her. She kept her back firmly pressed to the rock, turning just enough to see out. Horror gripped her. "Nap time's over, Ringtail!"

"Just five more minutes, mom." Sly playfully groaned. He joined Carmelita by the wall. Mammoths were patrolling the riverbed, scouring the nearby caves. "Man these guys move fast." One pointed in their direction. Carmelita and Sly ducked. A hand from each other clamped the other's mouth. By the idle chit chat, the guards hadn't noticed them.

"We need to hurry up and find them!" One of the mammoths quaked.

"Or the boss will send us to be eaten by that ugly owl!" The other quivered behind his friend.

"I stand by what I said." Carmelita whispered. "They're searching for us."

"And, as usual, someone is behind the curtain pulling the strings." Sly remarked snidely. It was too soon to make a run for it. The mammoths hadn't spotted them yet. That and guards were patrolling on the upper levels looking for them.

A Dodo ran animatedly to the mammoths, completely out of breath. By the slide he took to stop, he had an urgent message. "Did you hear the boys in the old fortress found the hippo with that leopard freak?" _Hippo? Leopard freak?_ Carmelita exchanged nervous glances.

"Have they been captured yet?"

"Not yet. They're riding the egg carrier." The Dodo cackled evilly. "But don't worry. No way that hippo is escaping."

"Ha-ha! Yeah! Maybe the leopard will fall into the lava for us!" The guards threw their heads back in laughter.

"Murray's in trouble!" Sly panicked.

"The others are too. We have to find them." Carmelita urged. "But where do we start looking?"

"How's about behind you?" Sly and Carmelita dumbly veered back. Huge hands clamped to their necks, smashing them hard against the rocky wall. The mammoths holding them laughed victoriously. Sly and Carmelita pried at the hands, and kicked violently in vain. "Tell the boss we found two of 'em! The others won't be far behind."

…

A virtual phoned flickered on screen, blaring a cacophonous ringing loud enough to wake the dead. With the click of a mouse the ringing died. Static mixed with whistling wind answered on the opposite end. "I'm here. You better have good news."

" _We got the Cooper boy and his lady friend, boss!_ "

The boss flew forward in his chair, smiling hungrily with victory. "You got 'em good and tight? They can't escape and make y'all look a fool?"

" _Boss, the only way these two are escaping is if we drop dead in the next few miles._ "

"Don't tempt fate, boy." The boss purred huskily. He raised a glass of brandy to his lips. "Circumstances have the oddest ways of changin' in a blink."

" _Well, Boss, blink a few times. Circumstances just landed ya two throw rugs._ " The mammoth hung up on a pleasant note.

The Boss leaned back with a pleased grin. He chuckled to himself, swishing the brandy. "These prehistoric boys don't know the difference between victory and a small window."

"Perhaps they should be educated on the subject." Bushy brows arched to a doorway. Cozy fire glowing under a mantle illuminated the masked and suited figure standing in the arch. Her long, purple tail wagging listlessly. Big green eyes sparkling in the orange hue. "Happy Day...Mr. Bison."

"Well, well, well, if it ain't the enigma herself." One Jean Bison rose in respect for the woman's presence. He grasped the brandy bottle, pouring half a glass over ice for his pleasant visitor. "Care to join me for a spell?"

"Perhaps when we aren't discussing business." The woman politely declined. Bison bowed his head, putting the glass on the small glass end table. "I've come to offer you my aide."

"The way I hear it, your aid is more damaging than log missin' in a dam." Bison meandered to a map of the Ice Age, pretending to study and admire the terrain. "Besides I already have one Cooper, and that steamy fox in mah clutches. Why do I require the aide of a liability?"

"Do not mistaken my previous error." Enigma forcefully forewarned the bison. "I should have learned from previous experiences - working beneath Contessa breeds error like rabbits."

"That it does, Miss Ma'am." Bison turned to give the woman his full undivided attention. "The spider always claims victory before having more than one ace in her hand. A true player waits to the see their opponent's hand before cashin' in."

"Which is precisely why I choose to play close to the vest, and never reveal my hand until chips are in my favor." She ended with a sly purr, luring Bison into her clutches.

"Do go on, Miss…"

"You may call me Enigma. Until I no longer am."

"Fair enough. Now what do you have in your hand?" Enigma flipped a chip between her fingers. She strutted to the monitor amid the bookshelf. She admired the books bordering the large screen for a moment. She inserted it to a memory card slot. The feed was switched to a 2D map of the Age. One, two, three...five blips appeared. Each one a different color."What manner a persuasion be this?"

"Each of these markers represents a member of that blasted gang. Their binocucoms are for more than just talking long distance." Bison was impressed. His brightened expression allowed her to press on. She addressed an orange, and blue blip. "Your prisoners on their way. The pink blip, the hippo, is far from them. Then there is this purple blip."

"Might that be the Bounty Hunter under the Cooper Gang's employ?"

"It is. And she's en route to Sly and Carmelita's position, and will undoubtedly rescue them." She tauntingly circling a finger toward the ground, "Dropping your menial success down the crapper."

"Are you proposing I intercept?"

"To which I direct your attention to this lonely dot here." The green dot in a system of caves.

Fire burned vengefully in Bison's eyes. "That...turtle…" He growled venomously.

"That _lonely_ turtle." Enigma stressed with a grin. "Our crippled friend is alone in those caves."

"Hmm…" Bison stroked his chin. A grin stretched his cheeks ear to ear. "Take the brain, and the rest of the body falls with it."

"The _body_ will fall to its knees for the brain." She stroked the hilt of her bullwhip. "They will practically deliver the cave raccoon and Egyptian thief to your doorstep for him."

"And the entire group of misfits." Bison knocked on wood. "I'm a patient and fair man, Miss 'nigma." He sauntered to her, roughly cupping her chin. "Three strikes, and I'll take you out mahself. Don't screw up."

"Believe me, Mr. Bison," She swatted the hand away, "Crippled turtles are far from a challenge."

…

Bob effortlessly crawled on the side of walls, sliding and leaping across gaps. Alauna wasn't sure how she was managing to hold on. She was so dazed, and sick, that she lost track of which way the sky was. Bob got one more good running start. All Alauna remembered was feeling weightless, followed by a hard jerk. Bob lifted her off his back, setting her softly on woven twigs.

Alauna subconsciously moved her hand. Sticks, stones, and broken bones were woven tightly together. As her senses reoriented themselves, Alauna was in awe of the nest she was sitting in.

"Bob? Whose nest is this?" Bob's answer was a simple upward point. Alauna tilted her head up. A pterodactyl flying by left her eyes frozen wide. She brought her head down, then lost all strength in her legs. "That was a dinosaur...I just saw a dinosaur...a dinosaur flew over my head." She muttered speedily.

"/What? They dontave dinosaurs in the future?/"

"No. They're kind of...scarce." She can't reveal too much. She might mess with the time stream. Not that having Slytunkhamen isn't pushing it enough. "At least we got everything." She smiled at the items Bob had wrapped in the huge leaves. "Thank you."

"/No problem./" Bob puffed his chest boastfully. "/Helping people is a specialty./"

"And there it is." Alauna giggled.

"/There what is _?_ /"

"Nothing. Anyway, the cave Bentley's in is that way. We should-"

" _GET MOVING, RODENTS!"_ Alauna sucked her lips in. Bob gawked, studying her lips perplexedly. She sounded like a burly man. Alauna slowly opened her mouth, shaping her lips to say hi. " _I SAID MOVE IT!_ " She clenched her jaw closed. This time the voice was heard coming behind her. Bob and Alauna peered over. Carmelita and Sly were being cruelly dragged by ropes tied to their wrists and necks. "Can't you runts move any faster?!"

"Maybe lighting a fire to their tails will get them moving." Another mammoth held a torch close to their tails.

"/Sly! Carmelita!/" Bob cried. No one heard him from below. Carmelita was kicked in the tail. Snow shoveled to her face. Sly heatedly moved to help her. He was yanked back.

The mammoth picked Carmelita up and dropped her again. "Oops! Sorry~! Let me try that again!" The mammoth mockingly crooned. He hoisted her by the tail then slammed her back down. "Sorry. I'm just so clumsy." Meanwhile the other two played with Sly's cane and Carmelita's gun.

Alauna's pupils slit. Four mammoths, two hostages on their way to be skinned, and their weapons in the hands of morons. Alauna knew there was no time for a plan. "Bob? Ready for some excitement?" Bob thrust his ancient cane into the air, unleashing a loud battle cry. Alauna scaled to Bob's back, grasping the back of his neck. She twirled her revolver, clicking the hammer. "THEN CHARGE!" Bob pounded fists to his chest. He perched to the nest edge and leapt high to the sky, roaring at the top of his lungs.

The guards, Sly, and Carmelita shot their heads to the sky, hearing a rabid animal cry. Bob's furry fist plowed a mammoth's face in, sending him flying into the frigid water below. He skid to a halt, rearing him around. Alauna lined the barrel and shot the last three mammoth's over the edge. The cane and gun dropped to the gun. The water claimed more victims for the styx.

"BOB! ALLIE!" Sly cheered. Bob cut Sly free while Alauna freed Carmelita. "Boy are we glad to see you guys! You alright, Alauna?"

"I'm fine. Thanks." She tucked strained of hair behind her ear. Carmelita puffed her cheeks heatedly. "Where's Murray?"

"Isn't he with you?" Carmelita asked gruffly. Alauna and Bob lowered their heads. "Then he really is in trouble." Alauna and Bob's eyes widened. "What about Bentley and Slytunkhamen?"

"/Slytun-who?/"

"The friend I told you about. They're in a cave not far from us." She patted the items on Bob's back. "Ahmen's wounds are serious. If we don't get these back to him soon…"

Sly didn't need her to finish that sentence. "Murray's feelings shouldn't be too hurt. He can handle himself." Sly was so busy with the mammoths he hadn't noticed the snow lightening. "We need to get to Bentley and Slytunkhamen fast. Which way?"

"Follow me!"

…

Slytunkhamen shivered uncontrollably. His entire body was numb. The wounds were a dangerous purple. Bentley folded his legs under him. He continuously fed the fire. He's prepared himself for situations where his chair wouldn't be available. Being trapped in the Ice Age never came as scenario.

As best as he could Bentley edged Slytunkhamen closer to the blaze. It mattered very little. Unless Alauna showed up soon, Slytunkhamen will die of hypothermia.

"B-Bentley...I -c-c-can't…" His tongue froze. Slytunkhamen twitched his legs. "M-M-My...body...I...ca-cannot…"

"Don't worry, Slytunkhamen. Alauna will be back soon." Bentley knew she would. Although he inwardly fretted she froze to death. The night air stopped halfway in the cave, but Bentley felt the below negative 30 winds. "Alauna...please hurry."

Rocks pattered the cave. Bentley's head shot forward. Footsteps encroached on his position. Slytunkhamen's ears bounced, catching the sounds. His sickle canes were by his head. Bentley pressed a palm to his shoulder, imploring him to just stay asleep. He was in no shape to fight a bunny. Bentley reached for Alauna's revolver. He turned the dial as she directed, pulled the hammer back, then waited.

The walking was steady, casual at best. Tension built in Bentley's knotted stomach. Every step like a hammering gaval. Bentley's hands trembled. He fought to not accidentally pull the trigger. The closer the mysterious steps came, the closer the trigger drew to Bentley's finger. Alauna never walked this casually, or this slow. It wasn't her. He was sure of it.

Bentley squinted his eyes. A shadowed figure grew in the glow of the fire. Cat ears protruded from the head. Bentley released a held breath of relief. "Geez, Allie, give me a heart attack why don't you." He laughed. Slytunkhamen chuckled himself.

When the figure entered into the fire's light, Bentley's smile faded into whole body shook like a leave in the wind. Slytunkhamen struggled to lean on an elbow, wanting to see what's gotten Bentley worked up. The masked woman from Egypt stood in the only exit out of the cave. Heavy breathing trying to calm Bentley's nerves exhaled shakily. He pressed his back to the cave wall. The gun clattered in his shaking grip.

The woman twirled her whip, ripping the gun right out of his grip and into hers. A group of saber tooth tigers appeared behind her.

"Hello Bentley. Slytunkhamen." The Sabers stretched ropes. "I'm afraid you'll need to come with us."

 **To be continued**


	11. Bob & The Spot

**Bob**

 **/ &\**

 **The Spot**

…

The pterodactyl egg nest shakily road the conveyer a long way, rising and falling on small escalations throughout the belt. The bottom heated when it drew close to the molten rock on the floor. Close quarter walls infused with magma compacted layers of intense heat. Murray and the cave leopard sweated buckets of sweat in the last hour or so.

Despite the overpowering heat, Murray was impressed the conveyer was still operational. For the most part. The rusty gears pulling them along were clanging and grinding shrilly. On the verge of breaking in a split second. And the rope seemed like it would snap any moment. Made Murray somewhat self-conscious about his dietary habits.

Throughout the ride, Murray noticed claw marks, smashed equipment, and dug up places. Signs that Bob is trying to eliminate all traces of Grizz. Judging by how nothing's noticeably changed in the present, Le Paradoxes meddling in the past stopped at the false lineage. Murray wasn't surprised to see feline claw marks. Chunks of the equipment were lodging in his teeth and claws.

 _Could be Bob's cousin._ Then a crazy thought came to mind. Murray scrutinized the cave leopard. As cavemen went, the leopard was passable for an ancestor. He sort of looked like a monstrous version of Pardelaytra. Exactly like him. Speaking of similarities, he got to thinking. Perhaps it's the lighting or the heat's getting to him - the leopard almost, kind of looked like Alauna. The way he was tending to the teeth on his hips is how Alauna passes the time on a slow ride. Only, you know, she's obsessively checking her guns.

"I wonder how Bentley's doing without his chair." Murray moaned. He rocked the chair. Bentley rare goes anywhere without the chair. Whether others thought so or not, Bentley chose to ride the chair everywhere. He's made inventions so he can get around. But he hasn't been without it in this situation. "Hold on buddy." He mumbled.

The cave leopard animatedly egged Murray to notice other baskets riding the pulley. Murray shrugged in bewilderment, unable to grasp what he wanted. The cave leopard guided Murray's attention along the rope. The basket they road was heading further down into the cavern, towards a narrow strip of molten land. The cave leopard jabbed thick fingers up, stressing they needed to head up if they wanted to make it outside. Their ride to it was coming up on a separate rope. Murray and the cave leopard jumped from one basket to the next. That basket was heading in the wrong direction so they leapt to the next.

Sabers and Dodos scaled the ledges, leaping across treacherous gaps. The sabers by sticks protruding from cracks in the wall. A Dodo missed the ledge and was given a boost by a burst of air. The sabers lassoed huge rocks, swinging and running across walls. Watching the trail ahead and glaring to the basket below, the guards kept a close eye on Murray and the cave leopard, sending constant reports on the direction Murray and the leopard took. A guard or two stumbled on the way. One dodo's foot slipped on the ledge. He hooked his beak in the rock. Sprinkling rocks caught Murray's attention.

"HEY! DODO CHUMP!" The dodo cringed with dread. His friend scowled disapprovingly. He nervously shrugged with a grin. "What do you think you're doing up there?!"

The one dodo helped his friend back to solid ground. There was no point in keeping up appearances. The lead dodo signaled with a whistle. Murray raised a brow. The cave leopard dropped to all fours, snarling rabidly as Sabers started to herd to the overhead ledges. Murray braced himself, squaring defensively to the encroaching attack.

"Correction!" Murray tightened his gloves, cracking his knuckles. "What are you doing up there with a bunch of kitty cat chumps I'm about to turn into jackets?!" A saber snarled, insulted by the empty threat. The cave leopard shared Murray's enthusiasm. The two practically dared the saber and dodos to take the plunge.

The world moved in slow motion. Gears seemed to crank slower. The basket drifting in stew. The cave leopard growled incessantly, drumming retracting and extending claws. The long tail jerking erratically. The dodos kept a considerable distance from the edge. Those razor sharp teeth; feeling them puncture their neck. The sabers knelt to the edges, glaring the leopard down challengingly. Murray's heart pumped, nerves pulsing, adrenaline fueled by his boiling blood.

Closer and closer the basket drew to narrowing ledges. The sabers and dodos were primed to attack. The nest only mere feet from being below them. Murray flexed his muscles. The leopard's hair stood on end along his spine. Murray and the leopard placed on foot forward. The basket jerked. Murray and the leopard staggered. No one was on the basket. They were still on the ledge.

A hand sprouted from the twigs, latching onto Murray's ankle. A saber pulled himself basket side. Dodos dug their talons, perching to the basket edges. From above the rest of the ambush sprang into action. Sabers and dodos flooded the basket, piling onto Murray and the leopard. The weight in the basket became too much to bear. The rope snapped, and the basket and its payload dropped down a chute.

 **...**

Alauna, accompanied by Bob, reunited with Sly and Carmelita just as they were being dragged off to be stuffed by the man the mammoth's called _boss_. Another mysterious figure from the present undoubtedly recruited by Penelope. Two factors they needed to dwell on at a later time. Slytunkhamen was severely injured and in danger of dying in the harsh cold.

The cave where Bentley and Slytunkhamen were hiding was only two minutes away. The blizzard finally died down to a mild breeze. The temperature was still dropping. By the position of the half moon, it was barely into the night. Sly, Carmelita, and Alauna were indebted to Bob's timely arrival. Were it not for him, Alauna would still be prying at the leaf, and Sly and Carmelita would be dead. Slytunkhamen and Bentley were next.

"Here it is." Alauna announced. She stopped at the foot of the cave. She knit her brow.

"What's wrong?" Sly asked. Alauna's trailed her slit pupils on the ground. Sly and the others wondered what she was looking at. Their stomachs curdled when they noticed fresh footprints leading in and out of the cave. "Please tell me those are yours."

"Not unless I came with three or four feline backup dancers!" Alauna growled animally. Drawing her katana and revolver she led the charge. Bob, Sly, and Carmelita kept on the alert, stalking close behind her. "BENTLEY!" Alauna screamed. "Bentley! Answer me!" There should be a glow of a fire. _Please let it be extinguished...please just let it be extinguished!_ She rushed down the right path, sliding to an abrupt halt at the end. The fire was trampled, and her gun was left. No trace of Slytunkhamen or Bentley. "Dammit!" She roared, snatching up her gun. Bob, Sly, and Carmelita arrived just as Alauna spun on her heels and ran back in the other direction.

"Alauna! Wait!" Carmelita screeched. Sly and Bob groaned, wearily veering after Alauna and Carmelita.

"/Alauna's very energetic./"

"You should see her on Mardi Gras." Bob chirped confusedly, tilting his head. "Never mind. Just keep up!" Sly picked up the speed.

Alauna was on one knee, running a hovering hand over the footprints, studying the ground closely. Carmelita was impressed by how carefully and calmly Alauna was absorbing the scene. She'd be an asset to CSI. If she weren't a carrier, country hopping criminal with a degree.

"No signs of a struggle." Alauna muttered mostly to herself. "Four felines...and one who employs boots." She growled the last part.

"Must be the saber tooth tiger guards and that masked woman." Carmelita hissed disdainfully, pressing a fist to her palm.

"That woman has made her final mistake." Alauna's magenta eyes faded to silvery hazel, then shaded into magenta again. "That lass dares tae tak' mah wee turtle! Ah will keelhaul her!" An irish accent roared. Carmelita took an involuntary step back.

"Why didn't Bentley fight back?" Sly stated, arriving on scene.

Alauna swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes closed and then opening them. "His chair was lost during the trip. It's probably in the van."

"And you just left him by himself?!" Carmelita scolded her.

"I left him my gun! I thought he'd be safe." "Bentley's normally capable of defending himself. What a horrible miscalculation on her part. She may have just left Bentley to his doom.

"Safe?! He's crippled!" A vein popped in Alauna's ead. "Are you stupid or affected by the cold? Either way, in what world do you think Bentley's fine on his own?"

Alauna whirled around, squeezing a palm to Carmelita's neck. The silvery hazel faded in and out off and on, making Sly back away. Carmelita had to stand on her toes in order to touch ground. Bob gawked fretfully between Carmelita and Alauna. "I've given ye leeway fur th' sake o' th' mission!" The Irish hiss returned. "Dae nae dare presume tae test mah patience, lassie! I will snap ye neck lik' th' twig that it is 'n' lea ye fur th' buzzards!" Carmelita felt the digging fingers crush her windpipe to a breaking point. Pressure built in her head. Her eyes rolled backwards.

"Alauna!" Sly boomed, stomping a foot.

Alauna's animal eyes relaxed to their magenta form. Her grip loosened around Carmelita's neck. The fox lady dropped to her knees, coughing and wheezing for air. Massaging her sore neck, she felt deep impressions. Thin sheets of skin skin were torn. Carmelita was both fearful and angered. Alauna returned to studying the footprints, all the while hiding her shame. Carmelita went to Sly for answers. He turned timid and joined Alauna near the footprints. Bob was standing behind Carmelita, and even he wasn't sure what had happened. He held his own neck, able to feel that monstrous choke.

"So...which way-"

"This way." Her voice croaked. She stormed in the general direction the footprints faced, keeping her head down. Sly immediately followed. Carmelita and Bob exchanged apprehensive stares. Sly kept up with Alauna's hurried pace. He moved in close to her. Carmelita's heart skipped a beat when he wrapped an arm to her shoulders, touching cheek to cheek.

"Allie, you've kept it in check for five years." Sly mumbled.

"I know...I know…" She rasped, keeping her head down. "I'm sorry."

"I'm worried about Bentley too. But you're the only one here who can track him down."

"And we need my head clear - I know." Alauna motioned a hand, "I've got it Sly. Please." Sly pulled her closer, snuggling his cheek to hers. She sighed happily, rubbing his cheek. Carmelita touched her chest. This unfamiliar pain sparked in her. _Why are you so close to her? I've known you longer._ Her fingers curled. Bob surreptitiously scooted to a distance.

…

Slytunkhamen was tossed over a saber's shoulder like a sack of brick. The solid back bounced him vigorously, agitating the tender wounds. The only saving grace was the blizzarding calmed down. The night air wasn't any kinder. Slytunkhamen despised being captured a second time. But he was too exhausted. His sickle canes on the hip of the lady captor, however, ignited a new found strength.

Bentley was more viciously in the arms of his captor. He punched and bit at the muscular arms to no avail, screaming vulgarities for all of the Ice Age to hear. "Ooh if I had a bomb, I'd shove it in your mouth and watch you blow to a thousand little pieces from the inside out!"

Hearty laughter escaped Enigma. She held her stomach she was laughing so hard. "If she were short, green, and crippled, I'd swear you were Alauna. She's a terrible influence on you, Bentley."

"How do you know my name?! Who are you?!" Bentley frothed at the mouth.

"Penelope told me all about you. Not that she needed to." Penelope's name deflated Bentley. "I know enough about you, your gang, Carmelita, and Alauna to handle you myself."

"Apparently you don't know everything." Bentley snapped back with less luster. Penelope divulged information to the enemy about him. He held on to the delusion Penelope cared about him in the most infinitesimal of ways. Perhaps, for the first time in his life, he was wrong. Maybe she never liked him.

"Yes. The debacle in Egypt." She groaned irritably. She would never stave off that humiliation. "A minor oversight. One I shall soon rectify with your capture."

"How did you find us?" Bentley believed Enigma owed him that much if she planned to have them killed.

"Simple. The chips in your binocucoms offer great global positioning." Bentley smacked himself in the face. _Why didn't I think of that?_ He cursed himself. He could have located Sly and the others with his tablet.

"You don't really think I'll let you capture us, do you?" To this the saber's and Enigma howled with laughter.

Enigma whirled on her heels, pressing the butt of the whip hilt into his nose. "You're a paraplegic and a half dead raccoon! What use harm can you possibly do without your precious gadgets?" Bentley didn't show it beyond his courage, but he knew she was right. If only his legs worked. ' _Twitch.' Hm?_ Bentley felt a twitch in his calf. _What the…_ "You're even more useless than when you could walk!" Bentley's anger was replaced by curious intrigue.

Yonder shoutings interrupted the intensely revealing conversation. It was hard to make out. Boisterous talking and angry yelling. At first Enigma and the Sabers thought it was the Cooper Gang finally catching up. No one was behind them for miles. The shouting grew louder, sounding more vicious and rabid. It came from everywhere. The sabers were getting antsy, growling in the back of their throats. Enigma shushed them. She flexed her ears, locating the strange noises. Feline roars, and grunts, and thumping...coming from...the ice wall? Enigma meandered to the wall, running a hand over the solid water. The sounds were definitely coming from the wall. But where?

Enigma scanned the wall as far as she could see. Ledges stretching over the valley, frozen waterfalls, and precariously placed nests. So far nothing was out of the ordinary. The shouting was only getting louder...closer! Strangely, Enigma recognized one of the yellers. Now if only she could figure out where it was coming from. Snow dropped on her head. "THUNDER FLOP!"

"MOVE!" Enigma dove out of the way.

The ledge above shattered into pieces. Murray, with a cave leopard, came falling through. Dodos flapped their flights wings. Sabers foolishly grabbed hold for the tiniest salvation. The sabers on the ground ran for their lives. The ground was approaching. Murray grabbed hold of the leopard. He curled into a ball and rolled down the small hill on the landing. The plummeting tigers and dodos were swallowed alive by snow and ice, never to rise again.

Murray hooked the snow, bringing himself and the leopard to a sliding halt. The two panted heavily, regaining their senses as they admired the daring feat they survived. "That...was...not as awesome as someone would think." The leopard languidly bobbed his head. He'd rather not do that again. On the bright side they made it outside. "Whoa...what were the odds...that weird hole would bring us out here?"

"I'm afraid whatever odds you staked on have just turned tide!" Enigma snarled venomously, sweeping snow off her suit. "You blasted, waste of air! Your bumbling destruction never ceases to irritate me!" Sabers rose from the snow, baring their fangs. Slytunkhamen and Bentley were tossed aside against large plants.

"Bentley! Slytunkhamen!" Murray cheered. Then the situation dawned on him. "HEY! What are you doing with my pals?!"

"About to take them to my associate to be stuffed and mounted on the wall! AND NOW YOU WILL JOIN THEM!" Enigma thrust a finger forward.

The sabers dug their paws in the snow and charged. Murray and the leopard stood their ground. The sabers unclipped their boomerangs, launching them in mid run. Murray drew a fist back. The boomerangs were upon them. Murray let the fist fly. A flash of fire and electricity diverted the boomerangs, staking them in a rock. Murray and the leopard blinked confusedly. Enigma and the sabers were dumbstruck too.

"Top of the mornin'!" The sabers glanced to the side. Two fireballs and two shock shots rendered the four sabers unconscious. Carmelita and Alauna blew steam off their gun barrels.

"GUYS!" Murray waved his arms.

"/Spot?!/" Bob chirped.

"Spot?" Murray, Slytunkhamen, and Bentley chimed. The cave leopard waved gleefully.

"Well isn't this cozy!" Enigma hissed. "Neanderthals and heathens all in one place!"

Sly and Bob warningly pounded their canes to a palm. "I believe you have two people who belong to us." Sly announced in a demanding tone.

"And you have a cave raccoon we've been searching for." Enigma cracked her whip. The sabers picked themselves up, returning to their fighting stances. They lost nerve at the sight of the cave leopard and Bob. "QUIT YOUR LAZING ABOUT AND GET OVER HERE!" She howled shrilly. Paws and wings broke through the snow and ice pile. Murray and _Spot_ were shocked. The chumps that attacked them were still alive. "GET THEM YOU FOOLS!"

The sabers scooped the dodos by their feet and launched them into the air. Carmelita, Sly, and Murray took to their stances. The dodos piled onto them, tumbling down a slope to the riverbed. Sly sprang back, twirling his cane at two dodos. Carmelita pistol whipped one across the face, knocking him off her. Murray danced around his dodo, psyching him out with punches and dodges. Nearby dodos heard the commotion and ran to lend a hand. Pistol shots and punches shook up the valley below.

Bob and Spot roared boisterously, throwing powerful punches in the noses and ribs of the attacking sabers. Two lunged onto Bob's back, yanking him back by the mane. Bob reached over and flipped them hard on their backs. He hammered both fists on their heads. Their bodies went limp.

Spot struck mercilessly with his claws, shedding fur and skin to the bone. He unhooked the tooth made waistband and swung it. The teeth grazed two sabers. He ran between them, snagging them by their chest fur. He flipped into the air, sending the sabers flying into a tar pit.

Alauna mounted on one foot. She held her staff out to the side. Boomerangs came flying at her from all sides. She knit her brow. She twirled her staff overhead and behind her back, swatted the boomerangs like flies. A whip tied to her wrist, yanking her around to meet a fist to her nose. He staff left her grasp. Two punches and a kick connected her to a boulder.

The whip recoiled to to Enigma's free palm. She mockingly glided it past her mouth, pretending to lick it. Bob and Spot stalked behind the mysterious woman, salivating at the mouth to tear her apart. Enigma snapped the whip outward, ready for the cavemen.

Alauna shook off the blows. Wind returned to her lungs. Her ringing ears caught wind of the battle beneath. It sounded as if it was getting out of hand. "BOB! ...SPOT?" Odd names for prehistoric people. "Go help Sly! Leave this wretch to me!" Alauna ordered.

"/What about you?/" Bob protested. Spot grunted something Alauna figured was a no.

"I'll be fine! Go help them!" Bob and Spot wanted to remain to help her. Alauna's stern glare told them to do otherwise. Reluctantly the two nodded and leapt to the riverbed. Enigma laughed in derision of Alauna's move. Alauna alternated her shoulder, twisting her neck.

"Does it sting to be ambushed, Snow Leopard?"

"Not particularly, cockney." Alauna wiped blood from her mouth. "Carmelita punches harder."

"Is that a fact?" Enigma dropped her whip and Slytunkhamen's canes. She raised two fists, spreading her feet to a proper fighting stance. "Let us test your theory."

"Ooh. The rookie has jokes." Alauna chuckled excitedly. She dropped her gun holster, matching the stance. "Get ready. The punchline smarts."

…

Murray, Sly, and Carmelita had the dodos on the ropes. Unfortunately the circumstances change whenever the dodos decide to get back up. There seemed to be no end to them. One went down and two more attacked out of nowhere. On contact Sly and the others countered, and they countered hard. Slytunkhamen and Bentley depended on their victory. A bunch of flightless birds weren't going to prolong them further.

Murray kept his shoulder primed and his fists curled, darting his head between dodos circling him. They tried to distract him with cackles and small chirps. A tactic to make him look one way and be attacked from the opposite side. A couple dodos even stomped or clawed the ground. Murray kept his focus. The slightest change in pattern…

A dodo behind him scooped up a rock just as it left Murray's direct line of sight. The circle slowed. _Here it comes._ Murray prepped himself. The dodo was behind Murray and threw the stone. Murray moved his head to the side. The stone struck another dodo square in the forehead. While the one dodo cringed, Murray grabbed him by the neck and threw him into his friend. Both rolled into the water. The two remaining Dodos rammed their heads in his back, pinning him to a wall. Murray pushed hard off the wall. He thrust both elbows, smashing the dodos on the ground.

Sly and Carmelita kept back to back. Sly held his cane close to his chest. Carmelita had dodos in her crosshairs. "And I said you never watched my back." Sly derided himself.

"To add insult to injury, I'm not even trying to catch you." She retorted cleverly.

Dodo dug its talons. He brought his head down, launching in a swift charge. Sly hooked Carmelita from the line of fire. The dodo collided with his friend, both falling unconscious. Carmelita spun out of the hook, unleashing a devastating roundhouse kick in the side of a dodos head. The final Dodo opened his beak. Carmelita shoved her shock pistol practically down his throat. A fresh dosage of voltage fried him inside and out.

As Sly and Carmelita soaked in their victory, four sabers out of thin air restrained them by the arms. Just then Bob and Spot dropped down. They hoisted the sabers by their heads and crushed them together. "Nice timing, guys! Where's Alauna?" Sly commented.

Spot jumped and pointed animatedly up, acting out two people fighting. "/She and that black silhouette monster are fighting upstairs!/" Bob translated. A stampede of mammoths stormed on either side, slinging their slingshots like the wind.

"Looks like she's on her own for now!" Carmelita ran for the hoard. Sly backed her up.

…

Enigma and Alauna danced around each other. Feet slowly shuffling, bringing the fighter in and out. Magenta orbs tangled with green, conducting a strong surge of electricity. Alauna couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this anxious to fight. Never has Carmelita ignited this passion. Or Sly.

Alauna stopped, pivoting a foot. Enigma acted first and threw a punch. Alauna guided it, then connected an elbow followed by the back of her fist to Enigma's nose. Gloved hands grabbed Alauna's flexed arm. Enigma pulled a leg up, wrapping to Alauna's neck. The calves sharply constricted her neck. Enigma bent all the way back, touching her hands to the ground. She brought Alauna up, over, and sent her skipping to a crash in the debris pile.

"GET UP, ALAUNA!" Bentley begged. The tingling returned to his legs.

"FIGHT ON!" Slytunkhamen encouraged.

Enigma charged full speed ahead. Alauna threw a fistful of snow in her face. She tripped on a rock. Alauna climbed to a knee, catching Enigma's face in a thrusted palm. Her body rotated backwards, and Alauna slammed her to rocks hidden beneath the snow.

"EWWW…" Slytunkhamen and Bentley winced. "She'll feel that tomorrow." Slytunkhamen could barely watch.

"Alauna's gonna be sore too."

Alauna put her knees on either side of Enigma's hips. She grasped her collar. Enigma's dizzy eyes gaped at Alauna's menacing grin. Her head moved back. Bentley threw his hands to Slytunkhamen's eyes. Enigma's world went black when Alauna's forehead cracked on hers.

"Thank goodness we've got ice." Bentley moaned.

"Spice…?" Alauna moaned. Her body was wobbling. Might have been due to the stars circling her head. "Why do we need spice?" Bentley shook his head at Slytunkhamen. It was better not to respond. Alauna was in her right mind enough to see a wheel sticking out of the ice and snow pile. "Hey...the wheelchair…" She crooned dazedly. Her feet bumped into themselves as she stumbled for the chair.

Enigma awoke with a groan. She held a hand to her pounding head, steadily pushing up on a hand. Alauna was distracted by an object in the pile. Her guard was completely down. And her guns were unmanned.

"Oh no!" Bentley gasped. Enigma crawled on her belly, throwing a hand on a revolver's grip. "ALAUNA! LOOK OUT!" Bentley got a face full of snow when he lunged for her. Alauna was too disoriented to hear straight. This is why Bentley hated it when she headbutted people. "Gotta...get...to...Allie!" Bentley crawled as fast as his arms would carry him. Enigma had the dial set to its highest power output. She pulled the hammer back. "No! ALLIE!" Fire lit in his legs. Bentley pushed up. The world moved at hyper speed.

"Die, traitor!" Enigma's finger tightened to the trigger.

"NO!" Bentley rammed into her. A shot fired to the cliffs above. Alauna's head shot up. Rocks crashed to the ground in the distance.

"BENTLEY!" Slytunkhamen cried. Alauna's senses came back. She gasped in dismay.

Bentley was hanging off the edge. Enigma hung on by his legs. His fingers were slipping under the strain. Enigma was heavier than she looked. Bentley pulled up, only to drop again. He wiggled vigorously to get Enigma off. She held on firmly. Unfortunately Bentley couldn't' hold on forever. The strength in his fingers started to wane. He squeezed his eyes closed.

Hands clamped to his wrist. Bentley gawked up. Alauna had him, but was starting to slide. "Hold on, Brain! I've got you!" Two more hands caught Bentley's other wrist. Slytunkhamen overcame his wounds, fighting to help bring Bentley to solid ground. He and Alauna latched one hand to anything they could, using them as leverage.

A smile could be made out beneath Enigma's mask. She thrust a hand to Bentley's vest, pulling herself up. Slytunkhamen and Alauna grit their teeth. They could use either hand to repel her. They'd all fall to their deaths. Enigma's face was close enough for Alauna to see her malicious intentions reflecting in emerald green eyes. Then a figure caught her eye.

"Hola." Carmelita rumbled. Alauna smirked. Hands were on hers and Slytunkhamen's ankles. The two snatched his sickle canes from the woman. A shock bolt shot her to the cold river. Bentley and the others watched her fall. to their dismay a drifting ice block saved her. Knocking the wind out of her, but saved her.

Enigma was no longer an issue. Bob and Spot helped Alauna, Bentley, and Slytunkhamen back to solid ground. They rolled on their backs, their chests rising and falling with hyperventilating breaths. Sly, Bob, Spot, and even Carmelita were such a pleasant sight. Alauna turned over, absorbing Bentley's form. She and he exchanged smiles. She pulled himself into the warmest and tightest hug, never going to let him go. "I'm so sorry, Brain." She rasped.

"It's fine, Allie." He patted her back. "I'm fine."

"What about you?" She glanced to Slytunkhamen.

"I'll live. Thanks to you and your friends."

She was pleased to hear that. "By the way…" She glanced to Spot, "Who are you?"

"/This is Spot, my friend./" Bob draped an arm around Spot's shoulders. "/He and I steal eggs, and hunt for food for our tribes./" Spot crouched to Alauna, eyeing her with interested curiosity. He sniffed her, licked her, poked her. Alauna had the strangest sense of deja vu. Spot went to Bob, making all sorts of noises and grunts as he displayed Alauna to Bob. She was getting dizzy from being shaken.

"Uh, what did he say?" Sly inquired.

"/He wants to know if he's met Alauna. She looks familiar./"

"No. We haven't. Although," Alauna took in his appearance. "He does...kind of look like Pardelaytra."

"THAT'S WHAT I SAID!" Murray hooted, tugging at Bentley's buried chair. "And you know what, Alauna, he kind of looks like you!"

"You think so?" Alauna touched her chin. Spot mimicked Alauna, moving with her as she studied him.

"There is a _small_ resemblance." Sly admitted. Bentley had to agree. Now that he thought about it, he had a piece of DNA from Pardelaytra. He pinched hair on Spot's ankle and pulled. Spot only itched it as if he was bit by a bug.

Murray dug Bentley's chair free of the snow, cleaning it off. It was still in one piece after the ride it took. "Here ya go, buddy." He wheeled it to Bentley. "Bet you missed this, huh?"

"You have no idea." Bentley heaved.

Slytunkhamen ogled the contraption. Alauna helped him in the chair. Bentley seemed quite comfortable in the little seat, surrounded by odd devices. "Pardon my ignorance…" Slytunkhamen sat on his knees, too weak in the knees to stand. "What is that mysterious device for?"

"It's a wheel chair so Bentley can move around." Murray gave the chair a couple pushes and pulls. "His legs don't work, you see."

"They don't?" Slytunkhamen remarked skeptically. "Then my injuries must be severe." He looked to where Bentley was just hanging for dear life. "Because I swear your friend charged like a bat out of the underworld at that horrid woman." Alauna and the others blinked at him utterly confused. Spot was out of the loop, but pretended - not really pretending - to be confused to save face. That's when it struck Bentley and Alauna like a gong. Bentley was left near that rock waaay over there. Helpless, incapacitated, and...paralyzed. Yet, somehow, he was all the way over here - 30 feet in a few seconds - dangling for his life with Enigma holding onto his ankles.

"Let's discuss this at a later time!" Carmelita interjected. "More guards could be on the way."

"But where can we hide where they won't find us?" Sly announced. The hideout was a bust, Alauna's cave was obvious, and Murray wasn't sure the old fortress was the best idea.

Spot pranced adamantly, waving his hand for everyone's attention. He picked up Alauna by the stomach with his mouth, carrying her in a random direction. "I guess he wants us to follow him!" She fought the urge to hurl. Saliva was soaking her shirt.

Bob carried Sly by the back of his collar, trailing after Spot. "I think you're right."

…

Enigma spotted land approaching. She timed it right and just stepped off. The block she rode plummeted down a waterfall, shattering to bits on sharp rocks. She shuddered at that being her fate. A familiar pain on her forehead made her count her good graces.

"I had forgotten how hard her head is." She admired the pendant hanging to her neck. She dared not to let a tear fall, or lest it freeze in the frigid air. "How could you choose them...knowing what they did to me?"

"Guess that's sumthin' you'll have tuh ask her." Bison's southern, gravelly accent startled the razzled woman. She shoved the pendant back in, zipping up her suit. "I guess the plan went not accordin' to yer carefully laid plan." Enigma wasn't going to dignify that with an answer. Bison chuckled unnervingly at her humiliation. He turned on his hooves, trudging casually. "Come on. We got plannin' tuh do."

"We do?" She questioned skeptically.

"Cooper and his buds are no doubt gonna come lookin' fur us. Might as well make it interestin'."

 **...**

 **(Sly POV)**

 _Carmelita helped push Bentley through the steep terrain. Murray carried Slytunkhamen on his back. Meanwhile, Alauna and Sly were unamused by being carried like cubs be Spot and Bob._ _'Spot,' as Bob calls him, led us to this place in the forest not too far out of the valley. Spot pulls branches aside to reveal a tent of connecting leaves, branches, and rocks. It provided enough cover from the cold and was well hidden from anyone who decided to walk by. With how thick the forest is, this place didn't stand out too badly. __Sly puts a hand to his forehead like a visor, squinting to the distance._ _And we had a nice view of the valley. The perfect place to make sense of everything that's happened without a crazy chick or Penelope bothering us._ _Spot and Bob drop Sly and Alauna. Both disgusted by spit soaking their clothing._

 _In the meantime,_ _Murray rested Slytunkhamen on a bed of leaves,_ _Slytunkhamen needed our attention._ _A launa and Bentley began applying the medicine they made with the materials they gathered. Setting both leaves down, they ground the mushrooms and sprinkled them both leaves, then poured the sap. They mushed them together, sharing the primitive medicine. Alauna turned her back while Slytunkhamen was disrobed and sandwiched in the leaves. __To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to do next. It was clear the ancestors were in danger again. But what they want is a mystery. Obviously they don't want to kill my family. Killing Slytunkhamen would have pretty much guaranteed that. Whatever it is, we'll solve that mystery at a later time._ _Sly glares at Bentley's legs._

 _Alauna began playing with Bentley's leg, wondering if he felt her touching him. Bentley shook his head._ _According to Slytunkhamen, Bentley LITERALLY picked himself up and 'ran' to Alauna's rescue. Impossible, I know! Bentley's been in that chair for the last three...going on four years. The doctor's confirmed it,_ _Sly kneels to study Bentley's legs,_ _Bentley's spine was severed at the hip. All function to his legs was gone. But then, if that's the case, how did he save Alauna from being shot? He couldn't have gotten to her in time if he crawled. Even Alauna admitted she hadn't seen anything besides him hanging for his life. Could it be because of Contessa's presence? Had Penelope somehow changed history? Speaking of history..._

 _Slytunkhamen being in the Ice Age was definitely not part of the plan. Who knows what part of history was changed?_ _Sly begins to think about the Thievius Raccoonus._ _Man. All of these questions, no answers, I'm getting confused trying to put it all together. Penelope, the Contessa - I swear if Penelope snatched Dimitri from the past, I'm quitting._

 _Calling Dimitri to ask to put it in perspective was out of the question. Since the van was gone -AGAIN - and we couldn't exactly go looking for it without being spotted._

 _That's when..._ _'HONK... HONK...HONK!' Sly and the others gape at the sound. Bob remained with Slytunkhamen. Sly, Murray, Bentley, Carmelita, and Alauna all peer around a large boulder, and their jaws literally hit the ground._ _Whatever was granting us our dumb luck had to have seriously loved us._ _Spot childishly keeps honking the horn, fascinated beyond belief at the sound._ _Spot ACTUALLY found our van. When we asked him where he found it, Bob translated that he found it beneath where the old hideout was._ _Carmelita and Sly blush humiliated. Alauna pats them on the shoulder, wishing for them not to take it so hard._

 _You know what, answering all the questions we have isn't going to happen tonight. We were all bushed. We hadn't slept in who knows how long. By the morning everything will make sense._ _Alauna rested against a tree near Slytunkhamen. Spot surprised her by curling up beside her like a pet companion. She smiled and rested a hand to him. Bentley deactivated the chips in the binocucoms for the night, then curled into his shell. Murray just collapsed in a random place. Carmelita and Sly fell asleep on either side of Bob._ _Tomorrow...we get our bearings, and figure out who Boss is._

 **Not much, but a good place to stop.**

 **To be continued...**


	12. Return of The Mountaineer, eh

**Return**

 **of**

 **The Mountaineer, eh**

 **Okay. Moving on.**

…

 **(Alauna POV)**

 _Dawn broke over the valley. Carmelita and Sly were happily asleep. Alauna stretches her arms above her head, awakening to the sound if Bentley and Murray rummaging through the van._ _It was a smooth night all things considering. Hardly a disturbance. Aside from a little dinosaur or two sleeping on my legs. Bentley, the tired bugger, was out like a light in seconds. Now here he is - bright eyed and bushy tailed - working with Murray to fix up the van, and check on the time machine. Carmelita and Sly were still fast asleep. __She's warmed by how cozy they look._ _Bob's whereabouts were a mystery to me. But Spot was still by me. He was like a faithful pet. Slytunkhamen slept peacefully himself._ _Studies his wounds, ensuring no further infection was present._ _He was on his way to a full recovery. Thank goodness. I was worried he'd be in for the worst. Thanks to Bentley dismantling the signal of our binocucoms, Enigma was not able to pinpoint our location as before._

 _Poor Bentley. He was still really hot about that. He kept calling himself an idiot for not considering the signals transmitted by our binocucoms. We assured him that wasn't the case. That he was tired, mentally strained. Anyone could have made the mistake._ _Alauna walks to Bentley, begins massaging his shoulders. She snuggled her cheek to his, hoping to transfer some peace in his raging mind. Bentley shoved her hands off. His hunched shoulders urged her to back away._ _No surprise - he wouldn't hear of it. He blamed himself for nearly getting himself, Slytunkhamen, and myself killed._

 _In all honesty, I think it has more to do with Penelope than this oversight. Then there's his legs supposedly working._ _Alauna shakes her head dismally. She returns to her place, begins petting Spot._ _And now, with time machine being broken, he was in a bit of a slum. It seemed a little dinged up. But if I know, Bentley he'll get it working again. It was the time receptacle that leaned toward being irreparable._ _A whole mask of smoke blows up in Bentley's face. Alauna and Murray unable to resist laughing._ _Without the receptacle, the items we have - or had - were virtually useless. The slab we used to get to ancient Egypt was lost somewhere during the trip. No doubt either in time or somewhere in the snow. Murray's necklace was the only thing we had. And it didn't look like we'd find anything Egyptian or present day here._

 _Bentley slams fists, losing hope. Murray and Alauna sighed somberly. Spot wakes up, curious of what was wrong._ _To make matters worse, Bentley had neither the tools nor the means to fix the receptacle. Things were starting to look down. Way down._

…

Carmelita and Sly awoke when they heard Bentley howling profanities at his equipment. A very rare sight indeed. Murray and Alauna were fearfully keeping their distance, gesturing animatedly for Carmelita and Sly to do the same. Bentley tweaked this and tightened that, rotated a few gears, and went so far as to hit control alt delete. The time machine itself was working fine. The systems to register what went in to the receptacle were working perfectly. It was the broken receptacle that was the problem.

"Dang it!" Bentley took out the tablet and began making a list of what needed repairs and the parts he needed to repair them. "I had to order that special...made that by hand...no way am I calling customer support for that one again. Shrimp cocktail - PFFT!"

"Uh, Bentley...?" Murray spoke cautiously. Bentley was a ticking time bomb when he started muttering to himself. He could blow any second. Murray leaned close to Bentley's shoulder, keeping a good sized gap so not to breathe Bentley's thinking air. "Buddy? You okay?"

"STUPID COCKTAIL!" Bentley slammed his fist down.

Three pinecones dropped on Murray's head. Birds circled his head. "Never mind...I'll come back later..." He wobbled dizzily in another direction. Bentley muttered angrily under his breath, shouting spontaneously every so often.

"I think the brain has combusted." Carmelita whispered.

"Too soon to tell." Sly warned slowly. "But we do want to keep our distance."

Spot was admiring Bentley and the others from a tree. Bentley's outbursts kind of scared him up there. He itched his fluffed mane, unable to make heads or tails of what everyone was up to. Carmelita playing with that lightning summoning contraption. Sly's hooked shaped stick that shined like the sun. Murray ate odd types of food. At least...he thinks it's food. Slytunkhamen's weapons were an oddity to him too. Two sticks shaped like Sly's. He was baffled beyond comprehension at the tools his new future friends wielded. Alauna fascinated him especially. Those neat hook shaped things on her hips. The stick that molts to sharp shiny silver sticks. Plus she was really pretty for a young leopard.

Slytankhamen put on his clothing, feeling absolutely naked without them and his sickle canes. Sore muscles aside he felt good as new. The medicine he slept in worked wonders. He was indebted to Alauna, Bentley, and Bob. All the Cooper Gang deserved his gratitude. Without them he most certainly would have perished.

Alauna gave him a once over, double checking that movement will not agitate his healing wounds."How do I look?" He jested, flexing slightly.

Alauna smirked impishly, rolling a standoffish gaze over his ratty figure. "There it is again." She mumbled. Slytunkhamen grunted, tilting his head in bewilderment. "Nothing. You look fine. But not fine enough to be pushing yourself." She stressed warningly, pressing a finger to his chest.

"Yes, M'Lady." Slytunkhamen playfully bowed to her command.

Bob returned some time later with his arms full of fruit and nuts, and one giant slab of meat strapped to his back for Spot. Slytunkhamen and Alauna's stomached growled seeing all that food. Spot was down from the tree and on the meat in seconds. The only thing anyone remembered before hand was a gust of wind. Not that anyone could blame Spot. Murray was hungry enough to eat the forest.

Murray helped Bob pass the food around. Spot dragged his kill behind a bush, ravaging the slab of meat rabidly. Alauna and Carmelita ate on the other side of a boulder, far out of Spot's reach. Sly forcefully wheeled Bentley from his work, putting nuts and berries on his lap. Slytunkhamen and Murray joined him, helping the turtle calm down with idle chitchat. Bob kept close to Spot. The leopard had the oddest ways of turning vicious in the blink of an eye when he's hungry.

"Now that we're all rested, fed, and relaxed," Sly stated, gaining everyone's attention, "Let's go over what we know so far."

"/For the record, I know absolutely nothing./" Bob admitted with no shame in the least.

"We'll catch you up." Alauna assured him.

The past and future were in danger again. The only difference is Sly was caught in the dead center of it. For the last few days, Alauna, Bentley, Murray, and Carmelita rocketed several thousand years into the past to rescue Sly, who had been missing for six months. During their search and rescue, Alauna happened upon Slytunkhamen, whom she vowed to rescue, despite his pleas to make her swear to find Sly and go home.

Meanwhile, Carmelita and Murray had the unfortunate luck of running into The Contessa, further confirming that the present threatened the past and future. Contessa was smarter than the previous past raiders. Le Paradox only cared about robbing the past. Contessa got a hold on the ear of the main antagonist of Slytunkhamen's time. The Pharaoh known as Pardelaytra. He was more than happy to help kill Slytunkhamen out of bitter rage. Would have succeeded had it not been for Bentley's plan and a whole lot of improvising.

A new player was added to the game. Another pawn of the present. A woman calling herself Enigma. She was no slouch. That bullwhip and her hand to hand skills make her a formidable opponent. She had Carmelita on the ropes. Alauna proved to be too much for her to handle this time around. Enigma didn't seem like the type of person to be beaten so easily twice. And now there's someone calling himself boss tossed into this Hell.

"At least we have four new players of our own." Sly pat Alauna proudly on the back. She shared the pat with Spot who decided to rejoin the group. "Bob? Ready for another ride?" Bob sprang to his hunched legs. He unleashed a mighty roar, pounding his chest. "I'll take that as a yes. Slytunkhamen? Wanna help us save history?"

"It will be a history making pleasure!" He crossed his canes with a bow.

"What about you, Spot?" Alauna scratched him behind the ear. His leg went padded at 20 miles per hour. "Care to help us?" Spot nodded wildly, babbling in his usual caveman gibberish. Bob cheered exuberantly, clapping and dancing in his seat. "What'd he say?" She asked Bob.

"/Anything for kin./" Alauna, Slytunkhamen, Sly - everyone's eyes and mouths went wide. Food spilled from Murray's gaping mouth.

"He thinks we're family?" She threw her food up when Spot tossed himself on her lap.

"/He knows!/" Bob reassured her. He inhaled Alauna's scent, exhaling peacefully. "/And he's right. You smell just like him./" Alauna blinked in awe. She marveled at Spot. He cuddled to her lap, purring like a happy house cat.

"Hmm..." Slytunkhamen tilted his head. Alauna felt those Cooper eyes running over her. "There does seem to be a resemblance." Bentley stroked his chin. Checking the chair, Bentley found a piece of DNA he scrounged from Pardelaytra. He'd prefer not explaining how he got it. Spot left some hairs on the ground.

"Can we get back to the issue at hand?" Alauna barked. "Like the fact that Penelope is the ring leader in this WHOLE mess we're in!"

"But I doubt she's the _boss_ we've been hearing about." Bentley stressed. There was an edge in his voice when he said Penelope's name. It pulled at Alauna''s heartstrings.

"Who's Penelope?" Slytunkhamen raised his hand.

Bob and Spot both uttered, "/Yeah.../"

"Oh. Right..." Bentley laughed nervously.

Bentley and the others educated Bob, Spot, and Slytunkhamen on Penelope and her role in this current predicament and the one before. Penelope was at the helm of this whole catastrophe. She escaped a short time after Sly disappeared. She took advantage of the chaos. Carmelita wasn't exactly on her A-game with Sly MIA. Since then she's been taunting Bentley with postcard's with her symbol painted on walls. Bentley began to surmise that all of her postcards were messages that she was planning this. Picking up where Le Paradox left off in destroying the Cooper Family's reputation. Clearly she holds no interest in the canes. Slytunkhamen's a case in point on his hips. What Penelope's true motives are is beyond Bentley. Past mistakes have proven he is less than qualified to judge her motives. Or who else Penelope dragged with her from the present.

"It would appear that tradition is being maintained." Slytunkhamen joked. "Were it not for these gentle souls, the horrid spider woman would most certainly have ended me." He looked to Bob with admiring eyes, able to see the family resemblance in him. Primitive he may be, Slytunkhamen was warmed in his heart to see two members of his family still alive. "Bob, I too come from an era far extended in history from this one. I am...the only Cooper in my time."

"/What about your father and mother?/" Bob asked between licking his fingers.

"Dead, I'm afraid. I'm alone in my time." Bob was sorry he asked. He massaged the back of his neck. The moment was even more awkward when Sly, Murray, Bentley, and Alauna lost their spirits. Their heads sank in their shoulders. They knew what being alone was like.

"You and Pardelaytra seemed quite _friendly._ " Alauna broke the tension. The word _friend_ was used lighter than helium. Slytunkhamen raised a brow at her insinuation. "The way you and he spoke, it was obvious there was a loop no one else was permitted to enter."

"Beautiful and perceptive." Slytunkhamen purred. Bentley grunted under his breath. He chugged half his cup of hot chocolate. "We were friends once upon a time. Unfortunately different views and methods drove us apart."

"How do you mean?" Sly chimed in.

"Pardelaytra saw the ugliness of life. Believed in severing it at its roots before it blooms. No matter who the buds are." Alauna shuddered. Pardelaytra sounded like her grandfather. _Sounds like me._ She groaned. "I, on the other hand, always found an _inconspicuous_ means of dealing with the ugly, and always found a roof to admire the beauty they tried to destroy."

"Sounds like a strain on a relationship." Carmelita remarked, sharing anxious stares with Sly. Alauna glanced to Bentley the same way.

"It did." Slytunkhamen sighed sadly, sinking in sorrow of the past. "The irony is...the friendship we developed over the years, the good times we shared..." Slytunkhamen stroked the buckle holding the silken skirt, "It prolonged an inevitable rivalry I've never been more grateful for escaping." Sly and Alauna grew uncomfortable with this story. The events Slytunkhamen describe might as well be a playwright for Alauna and Sly. Murray was too engrossed in pies he dug up from the van to notice the returning tension. Bob and Spot drooled over the pies.

"Excuse me..." Alauna rose to her feet, "I'm going to go get some air." She moved a bush aside, heading deeper into the forest. Bob and Spot watched her curiously as she disappeared in the trees. Murray, Bentley, and Carmelita exchanged somber stares.

"Oh my. Have I said something I shouldn't have?" Slytunkhamen fretted.

"That's not it." Sly declared. He moseyed after Alauna, leaving Slytunkhamen regretting having opened his mouth.

"I feel that I have said too much."

"Or perhaps you've said enough." Carmelita retorted.

 **...**

Alauna found a river flowing with clear blue water. She sat atop a boulder, knees curled close to her chest, dim eyes lost in the pine needles washing downstream. Prehistoric salmon broke the surface, diving with the current. She stuck her staff in the water, creating patterns in the swirls. The fish effortlessly swam around her staff. Alauna let out a sigh. The cold made her breath into a small cloud that evaporated in seconds.

"The last time I heard a sigh like that..." Alauna twisted around. Sly appeared from the brush, "You were stuck between a literal rock and hard place." He climbed beside her on the boulder, draping a chummy arm around her shoulder. "And all that time, trapped by that rock on that cliff, you sat there and admired the scenery..." He pressed a slender finger to the dip in her brow, "Scowling at the past just as you are now."

Alauna scrunched her nose. She glared daggers at the finger. He always prodded her forehead whenever she had a distant stare on her face. And he would never stop pestering her until she answered. "How do you know I'm not just thinking about other things? Like my boyfriend back in England."

"You don't have a boyfriend." He groaned sardonically.

"A girl can dream, can't she?"

Sly rested an elbow on a knee, laughing at her sarcasm. "From where I'm sitting, you've been doing a lot of dreaming." His smile faded when Alauna's expression dimmed. She went back to watching the fish. Sly cleared his throat, resting his elbows to his knees. "Allie, please, don't hold much stock in what Slytunkhamen said."

"About what? His past with the pharaoh or the bit about how much I look like the Pharaoh and Spot?" She tried to hide her best to not sound resentful. She almost felt guilty. She didn't know where it was coming from.

"That depends. Which one bothers you the most."

"For argument's sake: The _family resemblance._ "

"Ugh. That is a problem." Sly shuddered. He smoothed his hair back, "I look way better than Slytunkhamen and Bob." Alauna punched his arm. "Sorry. Ha-ha! But seriously, Allie, that thing about Spot and Pardelaytra - you can't let it bother you."

"It doesn't. It's just…" The world faded into a haze. An image from the past flashed in her mind. ' _A piece of paper with only three words on it. Three damning, psychologically damaging words..._ _Goodbye, murderous spawn_ _, eaten to ash by flames._ ' "It would make some sense." She whispered.

"What would?"

"Nothing." She shook the image away, rubbing welling tears to her hair. "It's nothing." Undoubtedly Bentley's curious of Alauna's similarities to Pardelaytra and Spot. He's probably got a DNA schematic thing going on right now. "I wonder how Bentley's doing with the whole Penelope and him supposedly walking thing." In the back of Alauna's mind she couldn't bring herself to believe it. She didn't want Bentley to get his hopes up. His legs hadn't budged an inch since last night. But, in her heart, on the off chance he can walk...was it because his legs were never broken? Or has Penelope's _recruitment_ altered something it shouldn't have?

"I think he's distracting himself with the receptacle." Sly glanced towards camp uneasily. "He's pretty mad that it's broken. I'm surprised he hasn't thrown anything."

"Don't be so sure!" Murray came stampeding to the rock. Sly and Alauna winced at the searing red lump on his head. He was out of breath, sweating like a pig. He must have made a mad dash from the hideout. "Bentley...just threw...the binocucom! Then shouted EUREKA!"

"At hitting you?!" Alauna inspected his wound. Murray hissed when her fingers barely touched it. "It better be one Hell of a Eureka."

"Oh it is!" Murray reassured her giddily. "Bentley thinks he knows how to fix the receptacle." Sly and Alauna lit up like Christmas trees. The best news they've heard in days. They shared smirks, both wondering, _what took him so long_? Funny how Bentley discovers a plan whenever the moment seems bleak.

 **...**

(Chalk Talk)

Bentley pinched the CT app, opening up old photos and a plan he had concocted while the others ate. " _Alright ladies and gents, time to get to work._ " He opened on photo of the van, with a secondary zoom photo of the broken receptacle. " _As you know, the time machine receptacle is broken. Without it we cannot travel to specific points in time._ " He brought up two pieces saved by Sly and Alauna. " _Luckily, the pieces saved are what help the receptacle calibrate the precise years of decay. The bad news is the case for the receptacle and the laser to analyze the items inside are finished. Also…_ " Regretfully, he added another photo of one more piece of equipment he knew would be hard as Hell to come by, " _I need a new keyboard._ "

" _Say what?!_ " Murray howled.

Bentley shows demolished keyboard. " _Sorry guys. Spot thought it was a toy and kind of..._ " Spot grumbles in the background. " _I know you didn't mean it._ "

" _Where do you find that stuff here?_ " Alauna huffed.

" _Hold on..._ " Carmelita searched the documents for old photos of Grizz's lair. She compared them to current photos as best as the angles would allow her. " _Looks like Grizz left some of his old stuff behind. It's scattered about the valley, but there should be something._ "

" _More than something. I think there's someone else entirely - the boss - living here._ " A map of the valley consumes the page. Red shades in the entrance to Grizz's old fortress. " _I'm detecting present day technology - loads of it - somewhere near the vicinity of Grizz's lair. Someone's definitely living there._ "

" _Spot and I just went on a joyride through that place._ " Murray stated grimly. " _Nothing there but bad guys and charred rock._ "

" _Well you, Spot, and Bob will have to go back and look._ " Bentley informed them regretfully. " _If nothing else you should find computers where the guards monitored the egg vats. Maybe you'll find the other parts I need._ " Spot, Bob, and Murray groaned dismally. They disliked the fortress. It was like being cooked in an oven. " _Carmelita - you, Alauna, and Sly will head to the arena. I hear the guards spend most of their time there nowadays. Maybe you can gather some intel about our mysterious hosts._ "

" _This is one of your 'on the fly, no real method plans' isn't it?_ " Alauna mocked him.

" _Sorry, Allie. Thought out and planned will have to come after I have our escape handy."_

" _Uh-Huh._ "

" _Look, just get going! We're wasting time, and we've made that mistake before. Let's not make it a habit._ "

" _What about the binocucoms?_ " Sly asked.

" _No communicating through binocucoms for now. That Enigma lady found us with them. I'll find a way to block the signal. Until then, ear coms only._ "

(Chalk Talk End)

 **…**

Murray, Bob, and Spot found their way to the egg vat entrance. After their close call, Murray and Spot weren't looking forward to riding the conveyor belt. The only reason he was considering going back in was because his best friend really needed his help. What Murray wouldn't do for Bentley. Who was he kidding? If it meant returning to their own time, Murray would climb Mt Everest for a plastic spoon.

For lack of subtlety, Murray voluntarily chose to _walk_ through the front gate. He was surprised by this decision to. He resented taking the easy approach. But there was no way for him, Bob, or Spot to climb over. "IT'S THE RACCOON AND CAT!" A mammoth guard hollered. "SOUND THE ALAR-" Murray drove a punch to his face, cracking his head on an ice block. Spot and Bob tackled two others sneaking up on Murray. They lifted the guards over their heads and tossed them over the wall. Their screams faded into silence.

"Thanks guys." Bob and Spot bumped chests. "Now let's see…" Murray played with the controls and mechanisms to get the machine to do that nice purr noise. True to form, the Cooper Gang luck didn't have a keyboard handy. Well what can he do. "I wish Bentley knew exactly what he needed. Anything can be a keyboard or cylinder thingie or laser."

"/What exactly are we looking for?/" Bob itched between his ears. He saw odd devices the last time Murray and the others were in the valley. None of it really made a lick of sense to him, or held significance.

"We're looking for something that looks like these." Murray showed him a photo of a keyboard, laser, and container. "We find them, get them back to Bentley, and he can fix the receptacle. Hopefully." Spot gargled his incoherent speech. Spitting raspberries and shrugging his shoulders. "What'd he say?"

"/He said you're a strange bunch of tribesmen./"

"This coming from a half naked cat." Murray gestured to the loincloth. Spot blushed and covered himself with a bashful grin. "Anyway…" Murray pulled a lever. The conveyor belt jerked on moving. Murray, Bob, and Spot jumped inside, riding back into the heart of the mountain. "Let's hurry up and find that stuff and get back to Bentley. Him and Slytunkhamen won't wait around forever."

 **...**

Sly peered from the tunnel first. The last time he snuck into the arena, there was a hoard of bad guys scoping the cave. Pools of tar, steep walls to climb, one or two guards along the way - a breeze compared to last time. He motioned a hand for the girls to follow. Alauna emerged with a her staff drawn. Carmelita was ready to fire on the first guy she saw. Sly hooked her gun, lowering it with a shake of his head. He stressed that they needed to be stealthy. They'd already lost the element of surprise. Anyone realizes they're there, and they'll never make it out of there.

"Discretion, dear lady cop." Alauna snorted haughtily. "Surely they taught you that in cop school?" Carmelita scrunched her nose. Alauna reared from her glare to spot a small problem. The spires to cross the tar pit - Carmelita is acrobatic, but she can't spire jump.

Sly itched his head, baffled by this obstacle. He hummed thoughtfully gazing to Alauna's staff. A smile lit with a light bulb. "Hey, Alauna, can you…" He moved a finger between Carmelita and the land across the pit.

"No worries." She supported her staff on one hand, and had the other ready to catapult it. "Carmelita, if you'll be so kind."

"OH NO!" She backed away. "I'm letting you toss me like a cheap salad."

"Don't flatter yourself. There's no way you're that light." Carmelita shrieked, appalled by the accusation. Sly was hiding in the tunnel to avoid dignifying that. "Now either you let me catapult you…" Alauna moved in close, smirking menacingly, "Or I simply toss you like a doll." Carmelita growled defeated. She knew Alauna was crazy enough to do it. She stepped on the staff. Alauna was surprised by the weight. _She really is heavier than she looks._ Mustering all her strength she catapulted Carmelita across the pit.

Two dodo guards spotted Carmelita She shot them into them into the pit before they had a chance to squawk. She flipped around, sliding on the landing. She braced herself to a wall. "Not a bad toss for scrawny Brit."

"Not scrawny. Well toned, Flabby." She rubbed her sotmach. Carmelita's brow twitched. She shot a dagger filled glare at Sly. He raised his hands, conceding the issue. He and Alauna skipped across the spires with little to no effort. Carmelita greeted Alauna with a hateful glare that Alauna smirked off.

"Time to move, girls." Sly crawled into a small hole.

"Age before beauty." Alauna bowed.

"Don't you mean class before ass?"

"In that case…" Alauna crawled in after Sly.

Carmelita was dumbstruck for words. "I hate her." She got on her stomach, shuffling along. "I hate her so much." Her face bumped into Alauna's butt. "Hey! What's the-"

"SSH!" Alauna put her tail tip on Carmelita's lips. She prodded a finger forward. Carmeltia raised a brow, glancing past Alauna. Sly was stopped by a small opening. Two mammoths were standing guard, talking amongst themselves.

"Seriously, I thought that Le Paradox guys was bad. This new guy is way worse."

"I know. I heard him say he was frozen TWICE and controlled iron animals to transport stuff all across the world."

"Whoa...wait? What's iron?"

"I think it's that stuff our mom's tell us to eat so we're big and strong."

"Wow. No wonder the guy's in good shape." This all sounded pretty familiar to Sly, Alauna, and Carmelita. They just couldn't put their finger on it.

Sly and the girls pressed on. If they're caught in the tunnel it would be a disaster. He helped them both out of the tunnel, hiding off to the side of the bridge. Guards patrolled the bridge crossing to the main entrance of the arena. Getting past them shouldn't be too difficult, but they needed to step lightly.

"You know that one lady wearing that black tar on her body?" They heard one of the saber guards ask.

"Yeah. What about her?"

"Think she likes dodos? I mean I'm not much to look at, but-"

"Take my advice, don't ask. The last guy who asked, she drowned him in the lava pool."

"Whoa! No way I'm going out like that."

Sly nodded to Alauna. She unsheathed the shoto blade. Grabbing a rock, she threw it at the ledge across the bridge. The crumbling ice startled the three guards. "What was that?" The guards darted to the sound. Alauna stalked across the bridge, masking her steps with the mammoth's.

"I don't see anything." The saber hissed.

"Maybe it was just breaking ice." The dodo proposed. The mammoth went stiff then dropped. "What do you think, Paul? Paul?" The dodo and saber looked at their fallen friend. He wasn't breathing.

"PAUL!" The saber screamed. A hand crushed the dodo's neck, yanking him off scene. "What happened to him?" The saber turned. He cried in horror. The dodo was dead. The saber started to panic, looking for the culprit. He whirled around. Alauna pierced her sword through his neck. The saber gargled, trying to screaming. Alauna put a finger to her lips, shushing him as she lowered him to the ground. The saber finally passed out, and Alauna removed her sword from his neck.

"Have I mentioned yet how creepy it is you're so good at that?" Sly remarked. He and Carmelita walked up behind her.

"Once or twice." Alauna winked.

"Well, call this number three. It's CREEPY!"

"Aww, Sly, you say the nicest things." She cupped her blushing cheeks.

"If you two are done!" Carmelita snapped, sauntering ahead. "We have information to get."

"Yes ma'am." Sly replied strongly while Alauna groaned.

…

Bentley continued to toy with his ipad, attempting to connect it to the time machine in case the items he needed weren't available. He prayed and prayed the Cooper Gang luck - being what it is - held out a little longer. That Grizz left something behind. It would be a lot easier to work if his mind wasn't strained by an underlying issue.

He slid a small glance at his legs. In his heart he knew it wasn't possible. He's been paralyzed for years. There's no way he can just walk. But in his mind, if there's the remote possibility that he can- "No. It's impossible."

"I saw you." Slytunkhamen stated.

"Huh?" Slytunkhamen smoothly guided his body through combat motions. Eyes closed he absorbed the nature around him. He slowly raised a foot, bringing one sickle one way while keeping the other to safeguard the rear. A type of egyptian taichi. "You saw what?"

"You bolted after Alauna like bats out of the underworld." He poked an eye open, giving Bentley a confident smile. "I'm sure the chair you sit upon offers ease of travel, but I am confident you do not need it."

"Don't you see? I do." Bentley convinced himself he needed the chair. "There was an accident some years ago and it made my legs inoperable."

"I do not doubt that." Slytunkhamen meandered to Bentley, kneeling to a knee so to study the leg closer. "But I do not doubt that I saw you put that incident behind you to save a woman you care deeply for."

"A woman I what?!" Bentley's face turned scarlet. Slytunkhamen flashed him a sly grin. "I-I-I don't care about Alauna! Well-I mean-I care about her! But not that way! She's a friend! A good friend!" He was breaking out in a nervous sweat.

"No need to be embarrassed. She cares for you as well." Slytunkhamen crooned. Bentley was most entertaining when he's flustered.

"I'm telling you it's not like that!" Bentley fumed. "But...you know…how do you know?" He shied to the ground, massaging the back of his neck.

"I am confused." Slytunkhamen tapped his chin playfully. "If it is not as you say, why do you suddenly care in what regard Alauna hold you?"

Bentley slapped his palms to his face. "Sweet Mary, Motherboards! You could be twins!" He roared.

"Twins? With Sly?" Slytunkhamen recalled Alauna muttering _There it is._ "I guess that's what she meant."

"Besides…" Bentley interrupted Slytunkhamen's train of thought, "If Allie's goign to fall in love with anyone...it'll be Sly again, or Murray, or maybe one of you guys."

The sadness in his tone concerned Slytunkhamen. "Why do you say that, Bentley?"

"Because it's impossible for anyone to find it in them to like a cripple." Bentley wheeled himself back to his work, attempting to drown his sorrows in fixing the machine.

Slytunkhamen wished to console him, but found it best to keep his thoughts to himself. He returned to his training, quieting the land around him. He assumed a form, tensing his muscles and mind. For a few seconds there was nothing. Slytunkhamen grunted, furrowing his brow. _Something is not right._ He muttered in his mind. When he opened his eyes, he was bewildered to be able to still see himself in the van's mirrors. He closed his eyes again. He took a few deep breaths. That feeling of something amiss grasped him. He opened his eyes again.

"Impossible…"

"What's wrong?"

"I can still see me." He gazed at his hands in horror.

"Uh...okay?"

"No! Bentley!" Slytunkhamen grabbed Bentley by the shoulders. "I can still see myself! I cannot marshal my invisibility technique!"

A hard realization struck Bentley."What do you mean you can't marshal it? It's your technique!" He'd forgotten Slytunkhamen's father created a technique to make himself invisible. Sly used it like crazy back in the day.

"Yes. I know this." Slytunkhamen squeezed his eyes closed so hard he felt his eyes ready to pop. Nothing happened. "But I cannot achieve it. How is this possible?"

…

The conveyor brought Murray, Spot, and Bob to the controls for the entire system. Murray thanked lady luck for holding out as long as she has. Computers and a bunch of other stuff Bentley no doubt needed for the time machine. It wasn't planning on stopping so the trio jumped from the conveyor onto the ground. Murray watched the basket be carried off somewhere around a pillar. They were going to need another ride.

Murray slipped into a moment of nostalgia. Right where he was standing was where his friends watched him beat the snot out of Grizz. That had to have been one of his greater crowning moments. Better than when he beat Rajan back in India. The moment was ruined when he spotted where he and Spot took that nasty tumble. The leopard had a mean left hook.

"/Wow. I missed a lot of stuff./" Bob gaped in awe. Spot mumbled sarcastically, saying, / _You're telling me._ / "/Bite me! You never would have found this stuff if I hadn't-/"

"Guys! Fight later!" Murray had already dismantled a keyboard from one of the computers. "We've got work to do." He strapped the keyboard to his back. Spot and Bob huffed at one another, following Murray with their noses to the air. Murray was amazed. They were a regular mirror images of Alauna and Sly.

Murray would dwell on Bob and Spot later. Right now he was bothered by the cavern. It seemed off. "Bob. Did you ever clear this stuff out from here?"

"/I thought I did. Guess I missed it./"

The equipment seemed brand new. And the conveyor belt - If Bob's been clearing things out as he said, the conveyor belt would have been the second to first thing to go. Yet it and the baskets were still running smooth as butter. As a mechanic, Murray recognized a fixer upper job when he saw one. Someone's been keeping the old conveyor belt running. But why? It is a good way to get from place to place inside the cavern. But cavemen like Bob and Spot had no use for it. Maybe it was that boss guy using it. For what was anyone's guess.

Bentley said his sensors indicated a heavy dose of present day technology. All Murray saw were the same computers from before and a conveyor belt that was just running on it's own. Whatever the reason, Murray wasn't going to take any chances. If this stuff remained here it could change everything in the future. It needed to be removed. There was probably more equipment higher up the cavern, and another basket was on it's way. "Bob, smash this thing!" Bob gave no argument. He smashed the computers to bits, leaving no wire, circuit, or power button spared. Murray and Spot admired his technique. He sighed contentedly, relaxing in his success. "Hurry, Bob!" Murray waved him over from the basket. Bob ran on all fours, lunging into the basket just a it left the ledge. "Alright, just a couple more things and we can get out of here."

 **...**

Sly led Alauna and Carmelita to the VIP box Grizz made for himself. That hideous painting and the bed were still there. Sly didn't think it was possible, but the painting actually looked worse than when Griz was painting it. They were about to climb down to inspect the place when guards near the ledge stopped them in their tracks. They were hooting and hollering degrading words of encouragement, thrusting their fists and weapons in the air. Alauna, Sly, and Carmelita looked at them like they were crazy.

Roars from the arena platform grabbed the trio's attention. Perhaps the guards weren't as crazy as they thought. They slowly rose to their feet, keeping hunched over in case someone spotted them. Peering to the bit of rock nesting in the lava pool, the three were stunned to find a battle of epic proportions in action. A lava enfused death only inches between the fighters and the sllab oof rock. A mammoth and saber were circling each other, both hunched and primed to attack. other guards with nothing else better to do cheered them on from the other pillars. The stacks of fur off in a corner were obviously the wagers placed on the who would win the bout.

"And so begins the era of underground fights." Alauna sniggered. "Guess we know why the guards spend most of their time here."

"Great!" Carmelita snarled. "How is stalking a bunch of fight drunken morons going to tell us anything?" She hissed impatiently.

"Don't you know the golden rule of information?" Alauna elbowed her. "Men at bars talk, drunken men give information." Carmelita and Sly raised curious brows at her. "There's nowhere else in the world there gossip is spilled more than where men and women can relax and swap stories. Someone in this merry band knows about that boss character we've been hearing about."

"And how exactly do we get info from fight drunken morons?" Alauna put a finger to her lips, asking Carmelita to keep quiet. She directed Sly and Carmelita's attention to the spectators. They were going on about something.

"Are you serious? Just now?" A mammoth gasped.

"Yeah. The boys in the mountain said that the computer near the ice rink was smashed to smithereens." A saber who barely arrived informed his friends. "It wasn't being used for anything, but they thought they should mention it."

"Egh. Better to know than find out later." A dodo agreed. "That old thing is only for fun anyway. Nothing real important anymore."

"Tell that to the boss." Another dodo urged his feathery friend. "The boss was jumping through fire when he heard that old belt was still here. What's the boss using that conveyor system thingie for any way?" A dodo inquired, sounding impatient. "It was only good for moving eggs, wasn't it?"

"Apparently he's looking for these weird rocks that he finds in the ice, then he sends them to the mountain to melt or something. I'm not sure."

"I heard there's a whole new area deeper in the mountain the boss is using." Another mammoth interjected, earning excited stares from his pals. "He took the old stuff and used it to make something else entirely."

"Really? Like what?"

"Like this weird moving ground thing that takes the frozen rocks into a raging inferno, then brings them back out all shiny and pretty." Alauna, Sly, and Carmelita put two and two together. Sounded as if the boss made another conveyor belt system for mining.

"Really?! I wanna see?"

"Me too? How do we get there?" Carmelita was on the edge of her seat.

"Heck if I know. I've never been there." The mammoth shrugged. Carmelita deflated. Sly and Alauna knew it wouldn't be easy.

"Same here. I'm only allowed at the higher levels." The saber admitted somberly.

"I bet they know!" The dodo gestured to the ones fighting. "I always hear them talking about the deeper caverns. But won't say anything unless we _prove ourselves_ in the games." Alauna and Sly shared smirks.

"Bunch of jerks they are. Let's go. We got a lot of work to do." The guards followed one another down a tunnel, muttering angrily at being kept in the dark.

"Okay, fine, I'll give you that one." Carmelita reluctantly commended Alauna. "But that didn't help us with our other issue."

"Which is?" Alauna hummed.

"The time machine. Bentley needs a new recepptacle."

"Murray's on it." Alauna reminded her. "But it wouldn't hurt to have a look around. Maybe there's something here he can use."

"Over there!" Sly blurted in a hushed tone. He pointed to Grizz's room. There was something beside the bed. The three stepped past the tapestry. The sight of the tacky bed made Carmelita and Alauna want to vomit. Luckily, what Slyy found assuaged their stomachs.

"Is that a giant lava lamp?" Carmelita scoffed.

"A giant, battery powered, lava lamp." Sly knocked on the lava lamp. "Think this'll work for the receptacle container?"

"It's perfect, actually." Alauna admired it. It was a little bigger than the receptacle. But Bentley's worked miracles before. "Alright," She rubbed her hands together, "Let's lug this thing out of here."

 **...**

Murray, Spot, and Bob rode the basket to the highest point of the cavern the conveyor took it. It stopped a ways from more cave systems. Tunnels housing creatures besides the guards they've been encountering. Likely nothing of interest within them. Knowing Grizz he probably stripped them clean while going through his painting skating faze. Murray was curious though.

The basket had brought him and the other two to a cave before circling around to head back down. With no reason to head down, Murray, Bob, and Spot decided to tour the last cave before deciding to return to the hideout.

Cold air was blasting through it. It felt heavenly compared to the sweltering heat. "Bentley's not going to like we didn't find anything else." Murray groaned, sauntering enthusiastically through the tunnel. Bob and Spot drooped sadly, feeling like failures to Bentley.

The tunnel let out on the cliffside overlooking the valley. Murray wasn't too surprised. All tunnels seemed to lead back outside to the valley. Saved them the hassle of looking for another way out. Spot and Bob inhaled a fresh breath of air, welcoming it with open arms, loving the strong breeze on their sweaty fur. Murray took a moment to enjoy the breeze with them. Troubles clinging to him like a bad rash just flew away on the breeze. He could take a nap right then and there he was so relaxed. That is, until a voice spoiled the moment.

"I'm telling you, we should send a scouting party to survey the area."

Murray, Bob, and Spot froze. They scrambled toward a slope protruding along side the icewall. Two figures were on their way up. Bob and Spot shifted to pounce. Murray pushed them back, wordlessly shaking his head. They couldn't afford to cause a ruckus now. The time machine wasn't fixed. Murray spied a huge skeletal head of a dinosaur.

"In there!" Murray shoved them inside. Spot and Bob hated having to hide. Whoever it was, they could have taken them. "If there's one thing The Murray knows, it's that patience has the heavier punch." Sly, Bentley, and Alauna taught him that one.

"And I'm tellin' yew yer worryin' over nuthin!" A bulky cloaked figure chortled, arriving at the top of the cliff. He stamped a hooked staff in the snow, using it as leverage to pull himself up the steep slope. Murray cowered lower. He peered past the razor sharp teeth, trying to get a good look at the figure beneath the hood. No luck. "That craggly gang and their pets ain't gonna ruin this operation for me before it's done."

"Do not be a fool as to underestimate them." Spot and Bob growled through gritted teeth when Enigma reared her ugly head. "The Cooper Gang possesses this annoying talent for disrupting perfectly laid plans." Murray shared their anger, but they needed to wait a little while longer.

"Finding out what these chumps know will make up for not finding anything." Murray whispered to them. Spot and Bob pouted childishly. They hated it when other people made sense.

"Yep, well, this time'll be different." The hidden man reassured her. "Wanna know why? Because my operation in the depths of that mountain can only be reached from my humble abode." _Operation?_ Murray thought. _So there was a reason behind that belt still being there._ "Once I'm finished, this valley and everything around it will be flatterer than Texas." Murray exchanged fearful stares with Spot and Bob.

"Still ever the lumberjack, eh?" Enigma giggled. "What of the Cooper you've been asked to capture?" Bob tensed. "What do you plan to do with him?"

"That's simple..." The man lovingly caressed the spiraled hook of his staff, "I'm gonna lop off his head, and stuff 'im so's I can mount him on mah mantle." The man threw his head back laughing.

Bob was overcome with rage, listening to that man laugh about destroying his home and wanting to kill him. He wasn't going to listen to anymore. He shoved his fingers under the skull. Spot shared his anger and reached down to help him. "BOB, SPOT, WAIT!" Murray cried too late. Bob lifted the skull over his head and tossed it back. The loud BOOM made Enigma and the mystery man spin around. Bob and Spot dug all four paws in the snow, bearing their dangerous teeth in hateful growls. Murray released a breath of defeat. He moseyed in the middle of Bob and Spot, keeping a hand firmly placed to the backs of their heads. They already blew their cover. Murray didn't want them making two mistakes in one sitting.

"Well, well, if this ain't a fortuitous reunion." The man guffawed. He shook his head, humming with disbelief. "I swear I must be starin' down the scope of the past. You haven't changed one bit, Hippo. Just as husky as when I left ya!" Murray scrunched his nose,tilting his head with a confused lift of his brow. "What's wrong, Hippo? Don't recognize me? That hurts mah feelin's real bad." He gripped the sides of his hood. "I know it's been a while. But, honestly," He pulled the hood off. Murray's eyes flew open in utter horror, "How can you forget me?"

"Jean Bison..." Murray's voice trembled.

"It's been quite a while, Hippo. I've so looked forward to seein' ya again."

 **I'm not ashamed to admit it. I rushed through this chapter faster than a tween at a 50% off sale. Why? I ran out of plot and wanted to reveal Bison in someway.**

 **Sorry. Don't like how I do things, don't read it anymore. The next chapter will be more thought out.**


	13. Drop the Axe

**Drop the Axe**

 _ **Recap -**_

 _ **The Cooper gang was thrust back into the prehistoric era where they were separated. The time machine was damaged, Bentley's wheelchair missing, and goons are chasing the dispersed group.**_

 _ **With a whole lot of luck, and fighting in between, Bob and his friend, a cave leopard named Spot, came to the rescue, helping the reunited Cooper Gang deal with Enigma. A woman with exceptional skill.**_

 _ **Enigma kidnapped Bentley, but was thwarted by Alauna and the others arriving. Enigma had Alauna on the verge of plummeting to a hypothermic death. Yet, somehow, Bentley rose to his feet and saved her.**_

 _ **Led to a new hideout by Spot and Bob, the gang was able to treat Slytunkhamen, get their bearings, and come up with a plan to fix the time machine. Grizz left a lot behind. During the operation, things went awry and Murray, Spot, and Bob crossed paths with Jean Bison.**_

 _ **A fight they were hoping to avoid is now at their feet.**_

 **xXx**

Saliva dripped down Spot's snarling fangs, melting the snow like venom from a snake. Bob dug his claws, feeling the earth tremble beneath him. Murray curled and uncurled his fist, grounding his feet to pounce the second either Enigma or Jean Bison twitched.

Bison had his head raised to the sky, laughing heartily at Murray's presence. "Dost my old eyes deceive me! The hippo joke of the Cooper Gang! Nice tuh see ya again, boy."

"Trust me, pal! The feeling ain't mutual!" Murray roared. "Aren't you supposed to be a cheap snow cone somewhere in the arctic?"

"Funny thing about that..." Bison trailed off, recollecting the icy fate. "I was on the verge of bein' frozen to mah death. When out of nowhere pretty Miss Penelope arrived in a hurl of light, savin' me from - what I understand is - a very grim fate."

"No more grim than seeing your ugly mug again!"

"Let's dispense with the name callin' and get ourselves down tuh business, shall we?"

"We have nothing to discuss!"

"Oh yes we do!" He stamped the hiking staff. Talon shaped knives extended along the the head. Murray's heart sank with dread. "Don't git yer mask in a twist! These ain't the Clockwerk Talons. But they're just as good." To demonstrate, he swiped the talons at a dead tree. The tree slid off a good clean cut, crashing to the valley below. Murray, Bob, and Spot suddenly lost their nerve. "Now I'm gonna offer you a deal. Listen close. That there cat has been gettin' in may way since day one." Spot snarled at being berated to a house pet. "And I'm a fixin' for a new winter coat." He ran fingers over the talons smooth edges.

"Whoa, Spot!" Murray wrapped his arms to Spot's neck, stopping the cat from lunging too soon. Spot and Bob were strong. Murray would give them that. But Bison, by whatever standards, was smarter. With that staff he was more dangerous too. Murray wasn't sure he'd stand a chance. Enigma at his side only made the situation more difficult. "Whatever it is you're looking for Bison you better name it soon! Or Spot's gonna use you as scratching post."

"I got orders, boy. And those orders demand I apprehend and subdue that there thing you call Bob."

"/Thing?/" Bob trilled offended. Murray patted him on the back.

"You just hand over that cave raccoon there nice and quiet like, and my friend and I here will let yew and that pussycat walk outta here happier than gremlins on Halloween." Spot snarled at the insult. Murray was tempted to let him attack. Enigma uncoiled her bullwhip, grinding her fingers on the hilt.

"And what if I tell you to go lick an icicle?" Murray defied him.

"Then, son," Bison shifted to a stance, extending the staff head challengingly, "There will three pelts on mah wall." Bison snorted steam from his nostrils. Enigma stretched the whip, spreading her feet.

Murray released Bob and Spot. They broadened their shoulders as they stood straight up, snarling animally. Their claws drummed the frigid air. Murray pulled his gloves snugly. Were it the daggers in his glare could shred the bison's fur, Bison would be dead. "Bring it on, Fossil! You'll be joining the rest of the dinosaurs!"

 **xXx**

Slytunkhamen watched in absolute awe of Bentley. He twisted wires together, matched strange symbols to symbols on the handheld device he cradled, and used an odd mask while melding metal together with a focused torch. The dedication he put into repairing the mind boggling machine strangely inspired him. He imagined the inventions his mind could concoct had he put his mind to it. Perhaps, if he focused harder than before, as he so performed when learning this trade Cooper ability, he could bring himself to achieve invisibility.

An hour of him grunting foolishly passed. Soon it became two, then three. Losing wind he gave up, kicking a rock in failure. _My father must be rolling over in his grave in frustration._ Slytunkhamen dreaded.

"Lookie what we found!" Sly trilled. Bentley and Slytunkhamen turned. Bentley was dumbstruck. Slytunkhamen was impressed. Alauna, Sly, and Carmelita returned with a huge lava lamp in their hands.

"Will this be good enough for you, Brainly?" Alauna winked charmingly.

"Better than good!" Bentley's tires screeched when he rocketed to the tacky lava lamp. He put a curating scope to his eye, studying the lamp up close. "Circumference...height and weight...density...carry the one," He went so far as to lick the lamp. Sly and the others groaned sickly, "PERFECT!" He cheered, startling Slytunkhamen. Alauna giggled at his reaction. "And the ambient light mechanisms will make an excellent laser replacement. I don't suppose you guys found a keyboard."

"Sorry, pal. Didn't find one of those." Sly shook his head.

"Maybe Murray, Bob, and Spot had better luck." Carmelita proposed.

"Where are the others, by the way?" Alauna searched the hideout. "By all accounts, Murray should have been back before us."

"Not sure. None of you really _called in_ for the last hour." Bentley scolded. Sly, Alauna, and Carmelita choked and stammered nervously, not really having an explanation for that one. "Well, good thing we didn't. Our communications are probably being monitored as we speak." The binocucoms were already a means to locate Bentley and the others. He would not jeopardize his friends twice. "I may be being paranoid, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Murray will call us if he absolutely needs us."

"Then we get to kick back and relax." Sly propped his feet on a log.

Alauna rolled his eyes. "Anything intriguing happen on your end?" She asked Bentley and Slytunkhamen. The two shared disheartened stares, disconcerting Alauna. "What's wrong?" Carmelita and Sly arched brows at the silent pair. "Bentley? Ahmen? What is it? Is the time machine worse than before?"

"No-no! It's on the verge of repair!" Bentley assured her strongly. "It's just…" Bentley and Slytunkhamen sighed resignedly. Slytunkhamen hadn't wanted to make it known until he was sure, but it was better than them finding out when they needed him. "We may have another more _third party_ problem." Alauna, Carmelita, and Sly weren't sure they understood. They would come to be sorry asking later.

 **xXx**

Enigma was like a blur when she sprinted, throwing the whip forward. Murray sharply jerked backwards. The whip cracked a patch of snow inches from his toe. Enigma ground her feet to a halt. She swung the whip, ripping a gash open in Murray's cheek. He yelped, holding the bleeding cheek. Enigma came around. Murray, blinded by anger, thrust a fist. Enigma spun around, evading the fist, driving a sharp elbow in his back. Murray planted his feet, whirling around with another punch. The frozen dinosaur remains earned the brunt of his attack. A crack sent pain splintering throughout his hand and the frozen bones. Murray cradled the now tender hand. Enigma vaulted over his shoulders. She planted a foot on his stomach and flipped back, connecting a foot to his chin. Murray was thrown on his back. He lied in the snow, groaning in a daze. Enigma cartwheeled onto him, planting her feet on either side of his jiggling stomach.

"What Alauna see's in you morons is a mystery I've yet to fathom." She hissed. Murray was reoriented by the mentioning of Alauna's name. He recognized she pronounced it with hurt rather than hate. "At least she'll have one less!" A dagger sprouted from the hilt's butt.

"Not yet she won't!" Suddenly Murray snapped a hand to her wrist, giving it a firm squeeze. Enigma wailed in pain, dropping the whip. Murray twisted it, coaxing her off. "One day we will go our separate ways. But not because of a chump like you!" Murray landed a punch square in her nose, sending her skipping across the snow. Her back met a rock on the cliff's ledge. All the air vacated her lungs. "OH YEAH…!" Murray raised his fists victoriously in the air. Enigma crawled to her hands and knees, wobbling as she struggled to stand up straight. "You want some more, Masked Lady? Bring it on!"

The world was a spinning blur. Murray was supported by three - no four...six - more of him. Enigma shook off the dizziness. It only made it worse. She was light as air. She went to step forward, only to stagger sideways. Her body wasn't listening to what her brain commanded. "You pack...a more powerful punch...than I remember."

"Sit tight and you'll see me serious!"

Bob and Spot stalked in circles around Bison. Low growls reverberated their throats, sending chills of excitement running down Bison's spine. He drummed his fingers, squeezing and loosening his grip on the staff. He attentively watched whichever caveman crossed his sights. Spot snapped at him. Feral feline roars bubbled in his boiling gut. Bob's hairs were frizzed tip to tail. His paws eager to pounce. Bison ravenously licked his lips.

"Come on then, boys. Ain't none of us gettin' any younger." Bison taunted them with a motion of his finger.

Spot charged first. Bison evaded with a spin. Spot stopped, twisting around with his fangs bared. Bison jabbed the staff butt in his chin. Spot's jaw snapped closed. bison kicked the head, twirling the staff. The talons tore his fur. Bison clamped a hand to Spot's face, smashing it in the snow.

"Absolutely pitiful!" Bison bued him deeper, grinding him in the dirt beneath. "And you're the ancestor of that bounty huntin' cat?"

Bob roared, charging full throttle. Bison picked up Spot by the scruff of the neck. Bob leapt to the air. Bison hoisted Spot over his head, and threw him into Bob. The two crashed on the dinosaur skull. Spot lied on his back unconscious. Bob was propped against the molars. Stars circled his head.

"You two are such a disappointment, I'm ashamed to even be exchangin' blows." Bison knelt to the dazed Bob, holding a wriggling millipede between his fingers. "Welp, let's hope whatever's tucked in that Cooper brain is worth it." Enigma rammed head first into Bison, both tumbling to the edge of the cliff.

Murray boastfully dusted his hands. He smirked at Bison and Enigma. "And that's how you take out the trash!" The millipede Bison had was crushed. If baffled Murray but he ignored them and peeled Spot off the dinosaur. "COME ON! WE GOTTA GO!" He splashed snow on his face. Spot choked, jerking awake. "BOB! WAKE UP!" He pushed Bob along. He was down for the count. Spot tossed Bob onto his back, restraining a wrist and leg. "NICE! RUN!"

Bison shoved Enigma off. He staked his staff in the snow. His head spun as he pulled himself to his feet. Through blurred vision he glared at Murray and Spot retreating with Bob. He swatted the snow, roaring angrily.

"I hate it when a catch gets away." Bison rumbled.

"So does Arpeggio." Bison growled impatiently. To his eternal contempt, Penelope was leaned against one of her prized mechanized falcons. "Hey Bison. Playing in the snow, I see." She wore her signature smirk. Her way of emphasizing her mental superiority. Were she not protected, Bison would show her that smarts do not always save you in the end. "The primitive Cooper elude you again?"

"Not elude." Bison dusted the snow off. "Helped. By that Hippo and Leopard." Enigma sat on her knees, massaging her sore head. "This toothpick here was no help!" Enigma shot him a glare.

"Apparently neither were you." Penelope retorted smugly.

"This comin' from the brainbuster with an army of metal birds who lost the Cooper Gang in the first place!" Penelope grit her teeth. Bison scoffed incredulously. "Don't go boastin' about huntin' when you don't never catch nuthin'."

"You hardly have the right to lecture me!" Penelope snarled.

"And you have no right to disparage me, girly!" Bison approached her, towering with a scathing glare. "Especially when your only use is dragging the past to the present."

"Careful, Bison."

"Or what? Your bird friends will come rescue you?" Penelope gasped. Bison grabbed her by the neck, lifting her off the ground. Penelope pried at the grisly iron grip, flailing her legs for the snow inches out of their reach. Pressure swelled her head like a balloon. Her vision became spotted. Enigma smiled hungrily, then was dismayed when Bison dropped her. She silently muttered a curse upon the mouse. "Get one thing straight, Dormouse, you don't call the shots. Yer only the mouthpiece fur the real boss." Penelope shot fiery eyes at him. Bison turned on his heels, leaving her to wallow in her humiliation. "Let's go, Missy. We got work to do." Enigma flaunted her purple tail, swaying her hips mockingly at Penelope.

"I hate Brawns." Penelope growled, she balanced her hands to a boulder, steadily rising to her feet. "They're lucky Arpeggio needs them. Otherwise I'd send them both back to where I found them."

 **xXx**

Back by the hideout, everyone anxiously awaited Murray, Spot, and Bob's return. Bentley and Sly were by the van. Sly flutter kicking his legs in deep thought. Bentley aimlessly swiped photos after photos. Alauna was lying upside down with her legs propped over a log. Slytunkhamen sat beside her, his head hung in shame. Carmelita sat beside him on the log. She patted his shoulder, stretching her lips in a reassuring smile.

"This must all be overwhelming for you."

"I do not know whether to be amazed I am in the era my first predecessor, or slip into a panic that I may not be able to return home." _Or regain my family's technique._

"I know that feeling." Carmelita sighed. "When I first time traveled, I was so confused that I lashed out at the nearest person." Sly's ears instinctively drooped. Sudden time travel was half the reason. "Later it became a great adventure."

"Adventuring is nice." Slytunkhamen agreed gleefully. The joy faded to somber. "I only wish Niizan was with me to enjoy it."

Alauna's ears bounced. That was the name Slytunkhamen called Pharaoh Pardelaytra. "You mean the Pharaoh?" Slytunkhamen's expression answered loud and clear. "You both used to be the best friends by the looks of it. When did you have a falling out?" She asked softly.

Carmelita scoffed. It was utterly preposterous to even consider two warring people were friends, let alone best friends. Slytunkhamen admitted he and The Pharaoh were friends in the past. The way Alauna made it sound was as if they were inseparable.

"Very perceptive indeed." Slytunkhamen admitted with a low chortle. Carmelita's foot went right in her mouth on that one. Alauna's sense of class forbade her from rubbing it in during a sensitive subject. "How'd you know?"

"Call it a hunch." She partially lidded her eyes. Spot and Bob, Slytunkhamen and Pardelaytra - _They sound like Sly and I._

"Though he may have been king, Niizan was a hunter or sorts - scouring all of Egypt for unsavory characters eluding and evading justice. Sometimes he was compensated."

"In our time that's called a bounty hunter." Alauna announced.

"Yes, well, he took kindly to the role. Too kindly." The change in his tone bothered Alauna. "The _hunter_ aspect gradually put it in his mind that if an enemy crosses him, it warrants cause for brutality." Alauna swallowed. "As time passed, I watched him change from my best friend into someone else right before my eyes."

"H-how do you mean?" Carmelita noted Alauna losing nerve.

"When he would fight, I don't know, he would have this crazed look." Alauna's brow knit. Her fingers curled. "Unless a pen was in place of a sword, Niizan Pardelaytra - my friend - would never be seen." Alauna expression darkened. In her mind she saw a figure, bodies at her feet, while she smiled drenched in their blood. "I have said something careless again...haven't I?"

"NO-NO!" Alauna flew forward, sitting up right. She put on her best fake smile, waving her hands. "You haven't said anything, Slytunkhamen! Really?"

"Clearly I have otherwise you would not be disheartened." Alauna started to sink in her place. _Just like Sly._ "What have I said so I may take care not to say it again."

Alauna grit her teeth, turning away to keep Slytunkhamen from reading further. ' _You aren't yourself when you cut loose._ ' "You haven't said anything I haven't heard before! SO STOP PRYING!" Slytunkhamen jumped, his back touching Carmelita's jerked legs. Bentley and Sly froze, fearful of what they missed. Alauna realized she shouted and shied submissively. "I'm sorry."

"No...I..."

"GUYS! GUYS!" All heads and gaping eyes darted to the loud, pounding footsteps of Spot and Murray.

"Murray!" Alauna cheered. Her bliss disappeared seeing Bob out of sorts. "What happened to Bob?" She knelt to Bob when Spot propped him to a tree. Spot's crude sign language was halted by the winded Murray.

"YOU GUYS...WILL NEVER BELIEVE...WHO I JUST FOUGHT?" Murray hollered between heavy, blustery breaths.

"Whoa, pal…" Sly guided him to a stump, setting him down. "Deeps breaths - who'd you see?"

Murray took in three slow, calming breaths. Adrenaline rushing his vibrating nerves relaxed, releasing pent up steam. Sly and the others gathered around, watching Murray intensely. "I FOUGHT JEAN BISON!" He boomed.

"WHAT?!" The others cried.

Carmelita and Alauna furrowed their brows, glancing to two startled raccoon clinging to them for dear life like frightened brides. Slytunkhamen and Sly grinned nervously. They were dropped with a thud. "That's impossible!" Alauna shrieked. "Jean Bison was discovered frozen after trying to save penguins."

"Pardon me. Who is this _Bison_ character?" Slytunkhamen politely interjected.

"He's a ruthless lumberjack who tried to destroy all of nature for his own selfish purposes." Bentley stressed his disgust for the lumberjack. His triumph over the behemoth was the ultimate notch in his dart gun. "What I don't get is why he's here in the stone ages."

"Penelope brought him here." Murray rumbled ominously. It all made sense afterwards, and made Bentley's stomach twist in knots "And that's not even the strange part."

"There's a strange part?" Carmelita, Slytunkhamen, and Sly droned.

"There's always a strange part." Bentley and Alauna mumbled.

A strange part indeed. Sly, Alauna, and the others gathered around Murray, enthralled by the tale he had to tell. Spot looked after the steadily coming around Bob, keeping his ears peeled to the conversation. Murray went on to explain, seconds before Bison finished off Bob and Spot, Bison had a wriggling bug in his hands. It wasn't normal either. It looked mechanical. The legs all squirmy and gross and unnatural looking. Bison was going to put it on the back of Bob's head. Murray wasn't sure why, but the bug gave him the creeps. Luckily he had Enigma on hand to throw at Bison and save Bob.

The mentioning of the bug struck a bell in Slytunkhamen. Painful burning ran along the center of his skull, searing into his neck. He ran a hand on his tender head. Familiar, fresh welt were hidden under his fur. The memories of their origin were obscured by a haze. But what made them was clear as day. A bug bearing a strong similarity to what Murray described was put on his head by the Contessa. While in her capture, Contessa demanded the location of Sly and his friends. When he refused, The Contessa took a _prize for the road._ She swore - verbatim - " _The Cooper's will be nothing but a mockery._ "

"Yeesh…" Alauna winced. Chills weakened her arm as she ran her fingers over the welted skin. "What did that nasty bug do to you?"

"The insect dug its putrid hooks into my skull. Unimaginable pain made the world vanish into darkness." Slytunkhamen's head radiated with splitting pain just thinking about it. Carmelita massaged ointment on the wound, assuaging the pain. Only slightly. "When I awoke, I thought nothing of it. Until now."

"When did The Contessa find time to build a bug like that?" Murray grimaced.

"Not her." Alauna anxiously spun the chamber on her revolver. She's studied Penelope and files on her. Robotics, engineering, Remote Control devices - a bug capable of siphoning mental knowledge seems a bit out of her purview. "And I doubt Penelope built the bug either."

"Agreed." Bentley nodded. "Penelope's an RC specialist and tech wiz. Mechanics like this aren't in her arsenal."

"Although we cannot neglect the possibility she branched out." Alauna added before they got too ahead. Computers weren't Penelope's niche like it was Bentley's. However, back in Egypt, she's proven skilled with viruses and the virtual backdoors in programs.

"Also agreed. She's pulling people from our past to fight us. Maybe these bugs were made by someone we know."

"Someone who absolutely despises the Coopers enough to steal from Slytunkhamen's head?" Alauna took out a notepad and started scribbling. "I don't have enough fingers or toes for this."

"That many, huh?" Bentley groaned, unable to believe it was that many.

"There's a tally chart, and you boys are another two deca from the triple digits."

"They are quite the compatible pair." Slytunkhamen whispered to Carmelita.

"You think so?"

"They seem to be in sync mentally." Carmelita shrugged indifferently. He might be right. Though she couldn't see Alauna dating Bentley. She seemed to be the girl who went for the type like - well - Sly.

Dating issues aside, enemies the Cooper Gang has faced are being dug out of the woodwork. No doubt Penelope is hoping to finish and surpass Le Paradox's original plan. The millipedes Slytunkhaman and Murray just might be part of it. Nothing is certain until it came straight from the fishes mouth. Or bison - as the case may be. What was also a mystery was Bison and Contessa's significance to Penelope. And who else did she have tucked away.

"First Contessa, now Bison - why'd Penelope recruit them?" Carmelita inquired.

"Because Contessa and Bison are the only two to capture and outsmart us in the past." Bentley hummed audibly, tapping his chin. Murray, Sly, and Carmelita still had scars from those defeats. "But I doubt that's the only reason, and that they're the only ones Penelope is digging up from our past excursions."

"You think she's getting everyone?" Sly asked forebodingly. If that's the case, Sly was losing his nerve. That was a long list and a lot of enemies.

"No. Not everyone. Just those with something to offer." Bentley knew Penelope better than he knew his shell. She has no use for useless people or things. "Contessa and Bison have their own assets to offer."

"Bison is a skilled lumberjack." Alauna stated factually. "Not a pushover, can survive with menial accommodations, and is no slouch."

"He's also got a new pair of talons on his staff." Murray gestured to the gap in Spot's fur under his chin. "The guy gave us the what for in seconds flat. Enigma wasn't even needed."

"So that harpy appeared." Carmelita punched her palm. "But the fact that Bison did all of this with no help proves he's kept in shape. We need to get the drop on him, and whatever he plans to do here."

"Before he spotted us, he said he has an operation below his place." Murray announced. "He said the valley and everything around it will be as flat as Texas."

"That is bad, yes?" Slytunkhamen asked.

"Very." Alauna answered. "Worse is Contessa. She is a master of _hypnotherapy._ "

"Is this similar to hypnotism or mind control?"

"The exact same, actually. Contessa can use her training to put suggestions in your head and make you do her bidding. However, in the past, she utilized a highly unstable spice - when agitated by hypnotism - would send the victim into a rage." Slytunkhamen was flabberghasted. "I know. That's what I said."

"You seem to know a lot for someone who wasn't there." Carmelita remarked accusingly.

"I've been kept in the loop." Alauna and Bentley exchanged front and back hand claps and fist bumped. Carmelita grit her teeth. An insult she prepared was stopped by Alauna flashing a USB drive. "Plus I do research on my own time. Every baddie myself or the guys have faced is in here. What isn't in here is where Bison is hiding or where this so called operation of his is."

"He said the _operation_ was somewhere in the mountain beneath his place." Murray recalled. "We find where he lives, we find that operation."

"Then it's time for a little stalking action. You ready for some real work, Allie?" Sly elbowed her.

"You just try and keep up. I know you're out of shape." Alauna she retorted snarkily.

"Then I'm in trouble. You were never much of a workout." As Carmelita feared. Sly and Alauna are a good match.

"Hold on, you two!" Bentley halted a disaster before it had time to blossom. "Let's get all the information you guys gathered before we make our move."

"Oh yeah…" Sly and Alauna groaned bashfully. Carmelita punched them both in the arm. "The guards in the arena have a secret." Sly remarked nonchalantly.

"One they refuse to tell to the _unworthy_." Alauna bounced her brow.

"Real~ly…" Bentley crooned, leaning in with a foxy grin. "Do tell." Bob finally woke up, laughing like a drunken fool. "Umm...help and talk?"

"Good idea."

 **xXx**

Arpeggio inspected a status report being fed to him by other operatives. He was disgruntled while at the same time pleased with their progress. Success was in their favor, but utter failure was dangerously close to nipping his tailfeathers. As if he expected this operation to move swiftly, smoothly, and feasibly.

"And here I surmised only the Cooper Boy was an obstacle." How foolish of the bird to believe so. It put a derisive smile on his face. "Perhaps a change in stratagem is in order." He maneuvered pieces on a chessboard labeled Ice Age.

"While I appreciate their tenacity," The gravelly voice cohort commented, shuffling unnervingly close to his small avian friend, "I do not have patience for career failures."

"Is that a hint towards myself, sir?" Arpeggio shuffled to the larger avian, adjusting his monocle. He puffed up boldly, glaring his superior down with the utmost diligence. "If I recall correctly, I am the only member of the Klaww Gang who succeeded in outwitting and outmaneuvering the Cooper Gang."

"It would appear your untimely demise adversely affected your memory." The yellow and jet black avian orbs leaned in close. Arpeggio's suppressed shivering did not go unnoticed. "Your pride - as determined by philosophers - led to your fall."

"As did yours!" Arpeggio snapped back. Beady yellow and black eyes narrowed, skewering the obstinate parrot. "While the capture of Cooper may not be progressing in the proper direction, our apprehending his ancestors is bearing fruit."

"On Cooper's ability to make himself scarce in the blink of an eye is hardly a reason to bluster."

"Perhaps not." Arpeggio's beak widened to a sinister smirk. "But the end game will undoubtedly be worth the hardship."

"Ah yes. The stain all prestigious families try so hard to scrub." The hidden figure chuckled. "Are we sure the Cooper Family's has yet to be removed?"

"Definitely sure." Penelope stated, sauntering past double closing doors. She pressed a button on her universal remote. Photos beginning at Bob all the way to Sly appeared on screen. "One of these Coopers has a secret the descendant tried to obscure. And when it's revealed, it will devastate Sly into a stupor."

"And just what is this _secret_ , my love?" Arpeggio purred, wrapping his feathery arms around her slender waist.

"Aww, Arpeggio..." She spun around, caressing his soft face, "You know how I hate to spoil surprises. But for you..." She leaned into his ear. She whispered soft words. Arpeggio lit up like a Christmas Tree.

 **xXx**

 **(Mission 1 - Bison Tail)**

 **[[Binocucom Briefing - Bentley, Sly, and Alauna]]**

"Okay you two. Since our presence here is glaringly obvious, we need to play so close to the vest our cards are glued to our chests." Bentley stressed, patting his chest.

"Lucky you, Allie. You'll be able to fill out more." Sly teased.

"Sly, am I going to have to tell Carmelita about pictures of her in that belly dancing costume?"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"SHUSH!" Bentley roared. "My readings indicate there is a mass of present day tech somewhere in close proximity to the entrance of Grizz's old lair. Now clearly it's not inside the egg vat mountain. Not even Bison could survive long with that constant heat. But it's pretty close. We need to find out where he's hiding and get inside."

"Would it not be easier to find the entrance ourselves?" Alauna proposed.

"Yes, but there could be secruity measures in place that will alert him. Remember, Alauna, it's known that we're here. If we raise the slightest alarm at the inopportune time we can kiss our hides goodbye."

"You're right. You're right." She submitted.

"Plus the guy is an out loud thinker." Sly informed. "We might learn a thing or two following him."

"Too right. We're en route to Bison now. And don't worry, Bentley, you're not the type to overlook contingencies twice." She winked.

"Th-thanks, Alauna." Bentley blushed.

 **[[Briefing End]]**

Bison was kneeling to the rushing rapid of icy water, filling submerged cantines. Heavily condensed mist from the waterfall ahead rose from the plummet like a fog, hissing and prickling as it faded. Bison held on by the bone fashioned pole, dunking his fifth cantine, wincing as water splashed on him. Four canteens were set aside, filled to the brim. Bison had two more and he could stuff his numb fingers into his cloak.

Under the cover of thickly snowed over mounds, Alauna and Sly crept up on Bison. He was just down a short slope beneath a bridge's arch. Sly pressed his back to the rock side, slowly creeping so the grinding sound of the snow didn't alert paranoid ears. Guards patrolling the bridge overhead made the rocky arch quake. Sly shushed Alauna and motioned her closer. she tiptoed to him, kneeling beside him to get a view of the unaware Bison. They were careful and kept their heads low. Bison was no doubt on edge from his fight with Murray. If they're spotted everything was over. The number of guards did nothing to raise their confidence.

"Oh I can't wait tuh curl up by the fire and melt mah frozen fingers." The pair heard Bison moan. "Can't properly chop with finger-cicles." He laughed, managing to warm himself up a bit. "Maybe I'll soak in a hot bath...rose petals...and drink bourbon on the rocks! Ooh-yea..."

"I could sure go for some bourbon." Alauna whispered desperately.

"You hate bourbon."

"Doesn't mean I wouldn't kill for a swig or two."

Sly shook his head. "Alright, Bentley. We found him." Sly whispered. "What next?"

" _We need to figure out where Bison is hiding out. You and Alauna tail him and see where he goes._ "

"Then what's with the grapple cam?" Alauna inspected the small camera device.

" _Once you figure out where he lives, I'll do a little tailing of my own._ " He sniggered mischievously. " _I hope you've kept your throwing arm in decent shape, Allie._ "

"Pfft! Do not insult me! By the by, did you ever get that keyboard?"

" _No._ " He groaned disappointedly. " _Murray never found one. For now I'm using the keyboard on my chair. It gets the job done, but controls for my chair are set to certain keys_." Bentley is a very particular sort of demolition genius. Every super computer, super device, or super anything of his needed it's own set of programs, codes, and input he had one hiding in the van somewhere.

"Here he comes!" Sly yanked Alauna behind a large plant. He clamped a hand over her mouth, keeping his back to the plant. She was so tempted to bite him. The snow surrounding them flooded her nerves.

Bison trudged up the slope, ignorant of Sly and Alauna's presence. The butt of his staff left tracks, digging in as Bison supported himself on the ascent. Alauna was amazed by the bison. In a terrified, cowardly sort of way. Photos and videos fall short of his husky, muscular stature. Far more imposing in person. Possibly even more dangerous given Murray's testimony. Sly, on the other hand, his heart was pounding against Alauna's back.

"He's bigger since last time." Sly whispered so quietly he had to put his lips in Alauna's ear. Her heart skipped a couple beats. Bison's exaggerated steps vibrated the ground. Flimsy patches of snow hugging trees and path edges shook free. Alauna believed Sly about the bigger, badder judgment. She noticed his ears fidgeting, folding forwards and backwards. The tiniest sounds strained them. He was definitely keeping tabs on stalkers. Luckily, Sly and Alauna were too scared to breathe let alone follow him right off the bat. Getting caught by this guy will be worse than being spotted by Contessa.

" _Make sure you two don't lose him._ " Bentley warned. " _He's the only shot we have to ending...whatever plot is being hatched._ "

"Easy for you to say." Alauna crawled on her hands and knees to a bear tree. A Pterodactyl nest sat at the top. "You're not the one in place to be lumber-hacked!" She clawed the bark, then propped a foot on a small protrusion.

" _Seriously? A lumberjack joke?_ "

"Beats your hatched crack." She retorted snidely, pulling up by the coiled branches. Sly was right behind her, enjoying their banter. Once inside, Alauna reached over and pulled Sly in. He gave her a thumbs up as thanks. The moment went interrupted by a phone ringing. Sly and Alauna turned to statues, thinking it was their binocucoms. What a relief it wasn't them.

Bison angrily jabbed a huge finger on a satellite phone. Sly arched a brow. The phone resembled the one Grizz used to talk to Le Paradox. All the more proof there was a higher power at work here. "Yeah, what do you want, Dormouse?" Bison huffed irritably.

"D _or_ mou _se_?" Bentley, Sly, and Alauna went rigid. Alauna and Sly folded their ears and poked out their heads halfway. Bentley listened intently on the other end.

Bison drummed a large finger on his military grade satellite phone while tapping an impatient foot. "Forgive me, Miss Mouse! But are you still disparagin' mah hard work whilst you're tucked safely in that overgrown blimp o' yers? B'cause it suurree sounds like it." Bison snidely retorted.

" _Blimp? Penelope has a blimp?_ " Bentley squeaked completely dumbfounded. " _Why do bad guys always go with a blimp?_ "

"Convenient carry on space." Alauna retorted, shrugging. "Blimps in present day host wine parties, and house military arsenals."

"Blimp connoisseur now, are we?" Sly teased.

"You know better than anyone that I get around." She flirted.

" _SSHH..._ " Bentley frothed. Alauna and Sly cringed, chuckling about being busted by dad.

"Well I want a lot of things, Missy!" Bison hissed. "A cabin on top of Everest, every vintage of whiskey and scotch, and Marquis De Sade's wig! But I ain't gettin' it!" Alauna agreed with the scotch. Everything else didn't appeal. "Tell ya what, Sweetheart. You just keep letting me dig for those ores I need to make mah special axes, and I'll find Big Bob Cooper for ya. Okay? Okay!" Bison hung up, stuffing the phone in his satchel.

" _I'm running a search for the blimp Bison mentioned._ " Bentley reported. " _However, given Penelope's interception back in Egypt, it's a 50-50 chance I'll succeed._ "

"Well you know where we stand." Sly voted in Bentley's favor.

"Can you also run a scan for those ores Bison mentioned?" Alauna requested. "Given this time period, minerals and resources are at their pique."

" _Not a bad idea. But I'd need an actual sample of the lands mineral sources in order to complete that._ " Alauna hissed through gritted teeth. Always a catch with a stroke genius. Bentley's a genius, but even he needed something to work with. There were doubts she could just pick up a rock and hand it to him expecting results.

 _Ores..._ Sly murmured in his mind. _Bison has an underground operation._

"I'm more concerned about Bison hunting for Bob." Sly interjected ominously. "What could he want him for?"

"Maybe to do to him like what he did to Slytunkhamen." Alauna shuddered.

They still had no idea why Contessa would do something so horrible to Slytunkhamen. Heck, to be honest, they weren't really sure what she DID to Slytunkhamen. An inhibitor? A type of mental lapse? Penelope was the key to their questions. The only hard part was getting her to come down from that _blimp_ Bison mentioned.

" _Bison's on the move! Tail him!_ " Bentley urged.

Bison rounded a dinosaur rib cage mounted to an icy slope of a wall. Sly leapt from the nest to a vine rope tied just above the rib cage. He crept along the vine, tiptoeing so the tightly wound rope didn't creak Alauna jumped to the rib cage, sliding down to behind a snowed over pine tree. Her feet loudly splashed the snow.

"HUH?!" Bison huffed, jerking to an offensive stance. Alauna froze like a deer in headlights. Bison sputtered through his nostrils. Hollow breaths puffing clouds as he sniffed the area. Sly's heart skipped ten beats. Blood in his veins turned to ice whenever Bison spun in his general direction searching for the startling sound. "ACHOO!" Bison's sneeze jostled the tree. Snow piled on Alauna. Not the planned hiding space, but it would have to do. "Hmph. Blasted Cooper Gang. Gonna turn me into a paranoid ninny at this rate." He trudged on his merry way, digging in his staff on the ascent.

Alauna sprouted, shivering in the waist high mound. Sly slid beside her, pushing the snow off of her. "You okay?"

"S-s-still warmer...th-than...Carmelita's...stare!" Her teeth chattered.

Sly was sure she was okay. But Alauna would need to warm up on her feet. Bison was getting ahead of them. He was heading for the curving ice slope. Mammoth guards were on the approach from the slop just a few feet to the left of them. Sly pulled Alauna from the first and made a mad dash after Bison.

Bison's staff cracked the ice each time he stamped it. His stomping hooves quaked the icy path, dropping chunks into the river below. Yet her marched on his way, grumbling under his breath. Alauna and Sly made it hardly two steps onto the slope. Loose ice chunks crunched loudly beneath their feet. The drearily two cursed themselves.

"AH-HA!" Bison whipped around, primed to attack. "Huh?" No one was there. Again. Bison furrowed his brow, scrutinizing the descending pathway with a fine tooth comb.

Unbeknownst to the rankled Bison, Sly and Alauna were right under his nose. Technically they were under his feet, under the ice slope, dangling by their planted staffs. Congratulatory thumbs up were exchanged by the snickering pair. Sometimes they even amazed themselves.

Bison hummed gruffly under his breath. He stomped one foot forward. Ice cracked beneath his might. The ice loosened dramatically. The planted staffs slanted. Sly and Alauna's clung vehemently to their staffs. Bison's thunderous hoof steps reverberated their staffs. The two swallowed fretfully, sweating bullets that Bison might be smart enough to look over, and that the loose ice might give. Between an icy plunge and Bison - drowning and dying in hypothermic water was the more pleasant alternative.

"Blast it all!" Bison roared. "Of all the places I end up, I choose the place where one of those ding-dong leopards has a conscience!" He was referring to Spot. What other leopards had the Cooper Gang _conveniently_ met up with?

 _One of those Leopards?_ Alauna questioned. Bison's grammar was not the tops, but by the sounds of it, Spot and Pardelaytra aren't the only Leopards friends with Sly's ancestors.

"Why with that beastie on mah side, I'd never be jumpy again! Hell! I could face down them dinosaurs marchin' around!" He laughed heartily. That booming laughter's vibrations inched Sly's and Alauna's staff looser. "Though I doubt he'd be much help. Contessa had that there Pharaoh on her side and she screwed up worse than a drug addict!" It also didn't help his case that Spot was tied to Bob's hip. He'd never betray him. Bison sighed dismally, shaking his head, "And here it was believed Leopards hated Raccoons."

Contessa had Pharaoh Pardelaytra on her side to help apprehend Slytunkhamen. An outcome made possible because of a falling out the two had years ago. By Bison's testimony, it sounded as if he expected Spot to bear some sort of grudge against Bob. The resemblance to Pardelaytra was uncanny - for both Spot and Alauna - but surely Bison didn't think he'd make an ally out of a stranger.

"What do you think he means by ' _Leopards hating raccoons_ '?" Alauna whispered fearfully. "I mean...I don't hate you."

"Why would you?"

"There does seem to be a pattern forming." She tightened solemnly. Pardelaytra, Spot, Alauna - all three share a similarity. Then there was Slytunkhamen's tale about him and Pardelaytra that bothered her. "I mean, it could be a coincidence. But Slytunkhamen practically described-" Sly gawked astonished. Alauna bit her tongue.

"Wait! Is that what this is about?" Sly exclaimed, appalled by her hastily drawn conclusion. Alauna couldn't look him in the eye. She's never doubted hers and Sly's friendship in the past. Doing so now pained her and him. Sly will admit the story sounded the familiar. But that shouldn't have meant anything. Not to her at least. "Alauna-"

" _GUYS! HE'S GETTING AWAY!_ " Bentley roared. Conversation over.

Their fingers squeezed. One wrong shift and they were plummeting to their doom. Sly and Alauna swung their feet to their staffs. The sudden shift in the ice locked them firmly in place. Not before giving them a quick heart attack. The two climbed halfway onto the slope. Guards were cleared. So was Bison. That mountain climbing buffalo was already halfway up the slope, heading for a pair of carved penguin ice statues. Alauna and Sly crawled up, yanked their weapons free, and expediently climbed a pole to a vine rope. Sly kept traveling the vine to a smaller Pterodactyl nest, while Alauna diverted and jumped to a fined point of a mammoth tusk pole head. She staggered on the landing, gripping the curled tusk for balance. Her spire jumps were less refined compared to Sly's. Coopers aren't the only ones who can spire jump, but they seemed to be the best at it. She flipped to the next point across. Sly ducked in the nest, hiding behind the eggs, keeping the halted Bison in his sights. Alauna caught up on the vine on the opposite side. She rode the final pole down, ducking behind crates hidden by Le Paradox's old parachute. She nodded to him. He nodded back. He dropped to the ground, tightening his legs so less noise would be made. Tiptoeing, he watched Bison intensely, hiding behind another set of crates closest to the windy ice caves.

Bison twisted side to side, scanning for interlopers. Sly and Alauna pressed their backs to the crates, straining their ears for the slightest strange sound. A guard shows up or Bison becomes aware of them and they were done. Bison shook off his suspicions. He trudged up to the windy cave, braving the blizzard roaring ferociously from the funnel. He stomped footholds in the ice, thrusting defiantly to the wind. He twirled his staff and stabbed the butt into a freezing over slot in the curved wall. Several clicks of inner mechanisms fastened the staff in place.

Sly's ears twitched. He put on his binocucom, connecting Bentley. Bison grasped the curved staff head, began cranking. Hollow clanking of the crank vibrated the ice, breaking icicles off. The wind's flow started to lose power, constricting with every full crank.

"Bentley? Are you seeing this?" Sly gaped in awe.

" _I sure am._ " Bentley's fingers tapped away, running a quick scan on the icy wind cave. " _Sly, you're not gonna believe this!_ " Somehow he doubted that. " _The tech I detected earlier - turns out it's an entirely separate source to the one I previously found._ "

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning Bison's been busy." Alauna jumped in. She twisted her hair pensively. A rumbling - like bedrock shifting - was heard over the crank and whistling wind. Alauna closed her eyes, touching her fingertips the left side of her head. As mentioned before, Bentley divulged in gory detail of the Cooper Gang's adventures. The time travel tale was a novel of pure genius and heartbreak. Bentley combed over the ice age with a fine toothed comb for her, telling her all about Grizz and his operation. "Bentley, you told me Grizz had an operation running through this mountain before, right?"

" _I did and I know what you're getting at._ " He stated. He tapped his chin, running calculations in his head. " _It is possible Bison and Penelope renovated the old space._ "

"I'll say..." Sly snapped a picture of the crank. Something for entley to go over. "But I doubt there's anywhere to hide without Bison catching wind ofison catching wind of us."

" _You're right, Sly. That cave is solid, dugout wall all the way. Alauna._ "

"I'm here."

" _Get ready. Once Bison enters the cave, toss the grapple cam._ "

"I'm curious about something." Alauna studied the recently added slots on the bottom. "Are these new holes part of an improvement?" She crooned.

" _Can't pull one over you._ " Bentley laughed. The conversation was cut short by Bison yanking his staff from the wall. The wind was completely shut off. Bison scanned the area one more time, then entered. Mammoth guards arrived and positioned themselves at the entrance. " _Bison's on the move! If I know paranoid types - and I do - Bison has a way to turn the wind back on once inside._ "

"Then I won't waste any time!" Alauna rolled behind a wall of ice. She peered a part of the way, studying the two guards area of sight. She tapped her ear com twice. Sly repeated the code. He rapped on the ice with his cane.

"WHO'S THERE?!"

"COME OUT!" The two guards fortified themselves toward the strange sound. Sly kept tapping, luring them over to him. Alauna rapidly skulked in, running on the balls of her foot to minimize sound. The grapple cam in hand. She crouched by the cave entrace, saw Bison paid the commotion no mind. By the way he was walking, he isn't the kind of guy that looks up unless he has to.

Sly vanished before the guards reached his position. The guards futilely searched where they were sure he was hiding. Or someone was hiding. Alauna quirked a brow, glancing up. Sly was hanging by his cane above. He tipped his hat to Alauna, showing off his returned master thief skills. Unfortunately his quick thinking lessen her time. Alauna drew her arm back and threw the cam at the ceiling.

On the other end, Bentley activated the grapple cam, hooking spider legs in the roofing ice. " _Attached!_ "

"Nice, Bentley!"

" _You too. Now scram!_ " The guards were about to head back to their post. " _You two stay close. I might need you later._ "

"We live to serve." Alauna retreated in any given direction.

"What a long life." Sly dropped from the ice, taking the long way around to meet Alauna.

 **xXx**

Bison yawned exasperated, worn out by his old age catching up to him. The below zero cold was starting to get to him too. Ironic seeing as how he was trapped in a block of ice for who knows how long. Twice. Guess he should have taken it as a sign to retire. World domination, time travel, criminal underworlds - leave it to the younger generation. What was really slowing him down were his aching muscles from that surprisingly taxing fight against the Cooper Gang's hippo and his two pets.

"Boy if I were 20 years younger, that cave leopard would have been a pelt on my wall by now." He snarled at his aged incompetence. "And that idiotic cave raccoon. What the Hay are they doin' palin' around? I thought they were mortal enemies - er - sumthin' like that!"

Amid his rant, Bison was ignorant of the eye and ear following him along the ceiling. _(Mortal enemies, huh.)_ Bentley caught Bison talking about how Leopards and Raccoon despised one another. As if a feud, lasting to Slytunkhamen's era, was supposed to be commencing. Bison did say he was peeved he didn't have a leopard as his bodyguard. _(Interesting...)_ Bentley wasn't sure why, but he suddenly thought of Alauna and Sly, and the _samples_ he collected.

"That blasted Penelope!" Bison cracked a knuckle in his fist. Bentley shook out of his daze, returning to the mission at hand. "Sendin' me here without havin' all the facts! Ain't those brain types supposed to have 'em all?!"

Bentley scoffed on the other line. _(Having answers and thinking for you are two different things!)_ He snarled. Bentley's irk at Bison arrogant comment cooled on the spot. The tunnel split off to an adjacent tunnel. Piles of freshly fallen ice was at the foot of a sturdy and out of place wall. Bentley zoomed the camera in, spying a thin line running down the center. _(This must be the source of the rumbling we heard earlier.)_ The crank outside closes a wall so the wind will be kept at bay.

"That stupid mouse could have warned me Leopards and Raccoons were friends in this period! Would have made my harvesting easier!" Bison rounded a turn. His irritation reverberated the ice. "Contessa - always the lucky wench with everything lined up nice and pretty. Got herself a humdinger of a Pharaoh too! Probably what made it easy to capture that Egyptian Raccoon and scoop his quirk."

 _(Scoop his quirk?)_ Bison must have been talking about Slytunkhamen's invisibility technique. _(So it was intentional. That means he was after Bob's quirk too. And that bug is the key.)_ Calling Cooper techniques quirks was insulting. Although, what quirk does Bob have that they would take? _(It's not his winning personality.)_

Bison slowed at another notch in the ice similar to the one at the entrance. "Well…" He trailed off, stabbing his staff inside, "No matter. What they do doesn't concern me." He cranked the staff again. The odd wall Bentley saw reopened, letting the wind loose. The guards outside were blown into the river. "As long as my boys continue findin' me those ores, the dormouse and her caged pigeon can steal whatever they want from the Cooper Pests." Bentley made sure he noted Bison's reference to Penelope and her associate.

 _(Caged pigeon. Penelope, who did you bring from the past?)_ Bentley felt a spike at his heart. For a second he wondered what it was. _Guess I'm a little disappointed in Penelope's choice of company._ He, of course, hadn't neglected the ores Bison mentioned. Those were going to be a hassle to deal with if Bison gets them.

Bisons snapped his staff back and forth, freeing a couple of hidden locks in the notch. A wall of ice opened like a door, revealing a second, wooden door. Bentley snapped a couple of photos of the hinges craftily imbedded. _(Bison really has been busy.)_ Bentley marveled. Bison retrieved his staff, he jostled the door handle, pushing his way in. Bentley put the grapple in overdrive and sped for the door. _(Reach...REACH...)_ The grapple cam jumped the gap. Bison shut the ice wall, crushing the cam in the crook.

( _NOO! I WAS SO CLOSE!_ ) The brittle remains of his cam fell to the ice ,never to be used again. Until Bentley activates a new one.

 **xXx**

"Does that mean we're SOL?" Sly asked impatiently, leaning to a cave wall. Alauna was sitting beside him, sharpening her sword with a rock.

" _Seeing what's past that door? Yes. Stopping Bison? Not even close!"_ Bentley confidently reassured them. " _Bison may be held up in some fortress in the mountains, but I doubt that ore operation he keeps bragging about is inside there. As for the brain scooping bit, I'm afraid that'll have to be a mystery for now._ "

Sly and Alauna sought refuge in a cave in case Bentley needed them for a second job. The whole time they were listening in on Bison talking to himself about these grandiose operations he has set up with Penelope. Of particular interest: Bison after Bob for his unique Cooper _quirk._ Alauna was more aggravated by Bison's hatred towards Spot. She couldn't explain it, but it bothered her to no end that Bison wanted to use Spot like a cheap pawn. This mission rubbed them so badly it gave them a rash.

" _Hold on...hold on…_ " Bentley was running one of his quick plan, compensate for hiccup in plans simulation. He was good at coming up with things on the fly. Letting himself be caught off guard for too long wasn't something he enjoyed. " _Okay guys. Clearly to get any answers, we're going to need to get in with the guards at that fight club of theirs in the arena._ "

"You really think they're going to just let us waltz in and pummel them to death?" Alauna questioend the plan doubtfully.

" _Nope! Which is why Murray's going in with Spot and Bob!_ "

"SPOT?!" Alauna and Sly shouted.

" _Of course. You don't expect a bunch of mammoths and sabers to fight fairly, do you?_ " Bentley crooned menacingly. " _Trust me guys, I've got a full proof plan that'll have those guards BEGGING to talk._ " Bentley ended his confidence with a manical cackle, sending chills down Alauna and Sly's spines.

"What in blazes have you guys done to my sweet, innocent turtle?" Alauna shrieked at Sly.

"Don't look at me. Ever since he got in that chair he's become a diabolical genius."

 **Till next time**


	14. Set 'em up & Knock 'em Down

**Set 'em up**

 **( &)**

 **Knock 'em Down**

 **Moving on.**

 **xxx**

Bentley's new and improved grapple cam went bust, much to his chagrin. Carmelita called and warned Sly and Alauna to tread carefully when speaking to him. Bentley might be _agitated_ about his busted grapple device. Sly and Alauna were tempted to spend the night in the caves on that note. Bentley's a regular Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to his toys. Sly and Alauna asked to be kept in the loop. For now they were going to investigate Grizz's old statue. Bentley's scanners revealed a hotspot near its location. Likely coming from the bunker Bison set up for himself, but it couldn't hurt to be sure.

"Wish we could get inside that bunker." Sly tiptoed past guards, stalking on the vines overhead. Alauna was right behind him. Her revolver drawn, she had the dial set to stun. Kills would tip Bison off. "Bet you anything Bison has loads of secrets buried in there." Secrets pertaining to the need why Penelope was suddenly interested in stealing Cooper trade skills.

"All good things, Sly. Be patient." She pulled on his shirt, stopping him behind an icy stalagmite. "And maybe cool down before you lose your footing." She directed his attention to a patch of ice Sly would have slipped on. He mentally cursed himself. A rookie oversight. "Hey, look at me." Sly reluctantly met her gaze. "For whatever reason Penelope is doing this-"

"To ruin my family!" Sly snapped, frothing at the mouth. It was far too early, but it was the only plausible explanation. "She's trying to ruin my family like Le Paradox!"

Alauna bobbed her head, conceding his point. She motioned her hand for him to let her finish. "Her motives aside, we are going to stop her."

"We have to find her first." Sly venomously rolled his eyes. "Did Bentley contact you with the Blimp's location? I'm sure he hasn't told me."

"You realize we have the best techno turtle on our side, right?"

"And you realize Penelope is the best techno mouse on Bison and Contessa's."

"Sly!" Alauna roared, appalled by his doubt in Bentley.

Sly's eyes widened when he realized what he said. He'd have fallen if Alana wasn't right there. She and he were both being bombarded by all these series of strange events. At first it was only Alauna being bothered by similarities. Now Sly learns Penelope wants Cooper skills. The reason and purpose behind Le Paradox's scheme was obscure and so obtuse that when the motive behind it was revealed, it was all for nothing. A petty case of being one step behind the competition. Penelope's motives? She's as unpredictable as Bentley and Le Paradox. Her reason could be simple yet all over the grid.

"The Fiendish Five, The Klaww Gang, the journey to the Cooper Vault, and Le Paradox's crew," Every adventure the Cooper Gang braved, "All of these escapades had something on the line. Brilliant and barbaric minds alike seeking to take from you." He lowered his head and Alauna forcefully tilted his chin up. "But I've never seen you doubt your team. I've never seen you wave the flag before the war started."

"I'm...just...tired, Allie." He stressed. "Tired of my family being targeted! Tired of my friends being dragged into it."

"That's our choice." Alauna abruptly assured him. "We choose to be here for you because we love you."

"I just want this to be over." He rasped. "I want to go back home, pull normal heists, and get back to living."

"And you will." She promised him with a smile. "For now..." She gestured to their primary objective. "We need to visit a tacky statue." She weaved around him, taking the lead. "Do try to keep up." She teased. Sly snorted at her boast, at the same time appreciating it.

When they reached the site of Grizz's old statue, Alauna was thrown for a world wide loop. Sly was smacked with abject shock. The statue was…

 **xxx**

"GONE?!" Carmelita, Murray, and Bentley howled into the comlink. Bob, Spot, and Slytunkhamen exchanged perplexed stares, assuming things weren't going quite to plan.

"Bob?" Murray startled him. "That huge lunk of ice that looked like Grizz. Did you get rid of that?"

"/Nuh-uh./" Bob waved his hands frantically, afraid of them being mad at him. He wrapped an arm to Spot's shoulder, "/We went hunting for...10 moons. Came back and it was gone. No clue why./"

"Bison must have leveled it." Carmelita proposed. "It was an ugly statue."

" _That may not be the only reason._ " Sly announced ominously.

 **xxx**

Sly had his ear pressed the frigid stump. Alauna twisted side to side keeping watch on the only two accessways, setting and removing the safety on her guns. Sly's ears twitched. Her furrowed his brow scrupulously. Humming tickled his ear.

" _What'cha got Sly?_ "

"Bentley, what does loud bee like humming mean?"

" _Running machinery. Why?_ "

Sly smirked. "This stump is humming like a hive. There's something down here."

"Then let's get inside." Alauna proposed.

" _Hold it, guys. That could be the main entrance._ " Bentley warned. " _Given that the guards have a secret entrance, it's more than likely that's the case._ " Open that door and a whole mob of guards will ambush them. Sly and Alauna are good but they aren't gods.

"Then we need to get into that fight club." Sly declared.

" _Murray and Bob are already on their way. You two head back to the hideout._ "

"On our way. OH!" Alauna chirped, running to the other side of the stump. Sly arched a brow. Then he gawked in disbelief. "The day's not a complete loss. I've got you a keyboard Bentley." She displayed it boastfully to Sly. He shook head. "How do baddies always leave what we need lying around?"

"Just lucky." He winked.

 **xxx**

 **(Mission 2 - Sock 'em Rockers)**

The back entrance was off limits for Murray and Bob. Murray's rotund features limit his agility, and Bob's the one Cooper unable to spire jump, rope run, and perform Cooper family thief moves. Lucky for them, Murray and Bob spotted split groups of guards entering the arena's general area. Half to compete, the others to watch. Murray put on the binocucom, cuing Bentley in to the scene. Bob put his to his eyes. Everything was tiny and far away. Murray flipped them around. Bob cheered when everything became big and close up.

 **[[Binocucom Briefing - Bentley, Murray, and Bob]]**

"Okay you two, time to put on your game faces!" Bentley he clenched a fist, knitting his brow sharply. "Through those doors lies the ice ages mean, elite, and all around dirtiest fighters since mud wrestlers." Murray flexed his arms downward, growling animally. Bob, confused by their display, put on a goofy, open mouthed face, wiggling his fingers. "Egh. That'll work." Bentley shrugged. Not much he can do. "Now we all know there's a secret operation underground and that there's a secret way to get there. The problem is only guards who prove themselves in this blood bath are granted entry."

"How do they know who's who?" Murray asked, zooming in on the yammering guards.

"The guards are given one of a kind Pterodactyl talons." A fair number of guards had those talons either on their hips, around their necks, or hanging from their heads. "Those talons are proof you've won the right to take shortcuts."

"/No problem! Murray and I will make mincemeat out of them!/" Bob boasted.

"Hold your horses there, Bob! You and Murray can't just WALK IN!" Bentley urgently dissuaded. The Cooper impulsiveness was hereditary. "The guards will make the two of you in a fifth of a second, and our cover is blown. We'll never get a chance at this again." At least not in the time they were certain they didn't have.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Murray questioned impatiently. He was ready scrap butts and smash names.

"Glad you asked." Bentley hummed menacingly. "Slytunkhamen and Spot are on their way now to lend you guys a couple of disguises Carmelita and I cooked up." Right on cue, Murray and Bob spotted Slytunkhamen riding Spot to a ledge. They hung a saber toothed tiger, and Mammoth costume over the ledge. Slytunkhamen waved as an "okay," and he and Spot took their leave before they were found. "With those on, the guards will undoubtedly let you in. Win this fight and you'll be told the entrance to their operation. Just make sure not to lose them."

"/You can count on us, Bentley!/"

 **[[Briefing End]]**

Bob and Murray picked up their costumes, sneering repulsed by their haphazard aesthetic. Murray remembered perfectly how well Carmelita's belly dancer costume turned out. Why couldn't their costumes be like that? Only, you know, not as revealing or sexy. Something a little more appealing.

While those two fitted themselves in the snug disguises, Carmelita and Bentley spied on the two from a safe distance. The patrons diverting to watch the barbaric spectacle, and the barbarians participating all stroked Carmelita's cop senses the wrong way.

"No way these guys believe in a fair fight." She hissed. In her gut she knew, with underground fights, going back on your word spares you three life sentences.

"Precisely why I brought you here." Bentley announced glad she was on the same page. Carmelita removed the binocucom to give him a curious stare. "Murray and Bob's disguises may prove flawless, but they'll definitely stand out as newbies to the job."

"Don't you think you should tell them that?" Carmelita questioned Bentley seemingly unwise decision.

"Don't let Murray's appearance fool you. He'd be disappointed if workers don't underestimate the new guy." Bentley saw Carmelita was still doubting his choice of not warning Murray and Bob. "He's been made as a new guy before during a job in Canada and handled himself well."

"Then if he can handle himself _so well_ ," She tilted her head with utmost sarcasm, "Why am I here?"

"To keep these thugs _honest_."

 **xxx**

The doors - figurative doors, of course - to the arena were ready to close to both participants and spectators. The hosts at the entrances were collecting a few extra handfuls of payment before they closed shop. Murray and Bob hid on the other side of a mound, scoping out their unknowing co workers before heading inside. Murray kept fidgeting with the collar, and tugging the snug squeeze on his hind quarters. The mask and tusks were unbearably heavy. The only thing he liked were the gloves. They fit nice.

Bob wasn't complaining. He loved his saber costume. Even posed and roared to get into character. His teeth were perfect for the disguise. His costume was easy. It resembled the saber tooth tiger skin Sly had last time they were there. The difference behind the missing snout. The back was clear shaved skin kept in place by the hollowed head and difficult to see straps on the arms and waist. A second patch of fur hugged to his chest, snapped in place by straps. Leggings were tricky, but they did the trick.

"Okay, Bob. We're the new guys, so expect to be messed with." Murray hushedly warned. Bob nodded so hard his mask flew off. He frantically put it back on, giving Murray a thumbs up instead. "Let's move!" Murray and Bob strutted their stuff all the way to the entrance. As expected, the intimidating guards got in their way.

"And where do you two think you're going?" Guard 1 snidely interrogated.

"Where do you think, Punk?!" Murray puffed his chest. "We're here to dominate and annihilate for a shortcut into work!"

"HA!" The guards threw their heads back laughing. "You small fries think you're entitled to an easy route to work?" Guard two spun them around and shoved them on their way. "Come back when you grow taller!" Bob growled animally, flaring a contemptuous glare at the guard who was foolish enough to shove him. Guard 2 started shaking in his boots. He laughed nervously, staggering back as Bob got on his haunches. "AAHHH…" The made the mistake of running. Bob pounced, taking him out of sight for the virgin eyes. Loud _BOOMS_ and _CRASHES_ and the distinct sound of a cat _REOW_ made Murray and the other guard cringe. When all was silent, Bob reemerged with a new pair of tusks in his mouth. He spat them out at Guard 1's feet.

"Will this suffice as our entry fee?" Murray crooned menacingly. Guard 1 threw up his hands, getting so far out of their way he practically jumped over the edge. "Much obliged." Murray tipped two fingers. Clear of sight, Murray and Bob shared a fist bump.

"Hey, Eugene. Y-You okay?!" Guard 1 shakily called.

"Yeah…" A delirious reply whimpered. "Can you go to my locker and get my spare tusks? And maybe some ice."

Pine tree needles parted some, letting a shocked and awed Carmelita admired Bob's handiwork. "I'm supposed to watch _their_ backs?" The redundancy was stifling. However, Bentley gave her the assignment, she was going to carry it out without question. "Eck! Never thought the day would come I'd be taking orders from turtle thief."

 **xxx**

"And…" Alauna connected wires, fixed USB's to their ports, "Done!" She gave the keyboard she found a quick few strokes. She held her breath. It all boiled down to compatibility. The time machine's computers registered the keyboard. Alauna and Sly released relieved breaths. The receptacle and the necklace inside were synced to the computer and all systems were ready for another hasty exit should it arise. "We are back in business!"

"Business is good!" The two bumped fists.

"I take that gesture to mean good news?" Slytunkhamen chimed in, sauntering over with Spot.

"Better than good news!" Sly reassured him. "Once we're finished here, we'll be able to take you back home."

"Oh. That's um…" Slytunkhamen itched his arm with obvious hesitation. "That's wonderful."

"It doesn't sound wonderful." Alauna remarked for the true thoughts in his head.

"Forgive me. I've just been on my own with my father and mother gone. Being around family and friends of a feather is…"

"It's nice." Sly whispered tenderly. "Believe me, I know how you feel." Alauna pet Spot. Both understood their feelings. It was nice having people you can connect to. Not just on a professional scale.

Speaking of professions, Alauna decided to make sure there weren't hidden damages to the time machine. Bentley managed to fix it a great deal after applying the parts he received. But it doesn't hurt to check. Better to be safe than sorry while on the run. She knelt down to inspect the wiring. There was an toolbox with a baggy of hair hanging out the side. Alauna opened the box to put it back. That's when she saw two more baggies of hair clumps. There were labels. _Pardelaytra, Spot, Alauna._

"What in blazes are these for?"

 **xxx**

The arena was jam packed by a heatedly roaring crowd demanding the fights gets started. Amazing given how many of them probably don't work directly with Bison. Must be a slow work day. Fighters waiting on the pillars where winches once held Bob down waved to their adoring crowd, amping them up for the bloodshed to come. Dodos, Sabers, and Mammoths alike growled at each other, unable to wait any longer to rip each other apart. Bob kept close to Murray. Unhappy memories of the slab of rock amid boiling hot lava knotted his stomach.

Above Grizz's icy penthouse, Carmelita crawled on her stomach as far as she could to the ledge. She spotted Murray and Bob easily. Her position was keen. She had a full view of the arena and the guards wouldn't spot her unless her cover is blown. The urge to constantly check behind her pulled at her though. After Enigma got the drop on her, Carmelita felt vulnerable to attacks. Well she'll be prepared this time. No way Alauna was going to rescue her.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" A raptor announcer howled from center ring. "ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE…?!" He put a hand to his ear, soaking up the crowds rowdy cheers. "THEN LET'S GET IT ON! Today we have a special treat for you! Newcomers think they are entitled the Rights and Privileges of us more _SENIOR_ workers!" The guffaws, snorts, and boos bore on Murray and Bob. Being singled out sucked worse than when Murray lost his appetite. "I know, I know, but we are an _equal opportunity_ sort of work place. And each of our contestants will have an EQUAL OPPORTUNITY to put our newbies in their place!" The crowd roared flamboyantly on that one. Murray and Bob's blood was starting to boil now. The excitement, the anticipation, the future sounds of those bozos running home to mommy. Murray got so excited he jumped into the ring before being called out. Bob and Carmelita slapped dreading palms to their faces. "Well, well, well, looks like our fellow man is eager to die-I MEAN fight! LET'S OBLIGE HIM!" The raptor leapt out of the ring to a snowy patch of solid land. "First on our plate, were have a six team threat who enjoy tenderizing the new - _ahem_ \- _com-pe-ti-tion_." He used the most sarcastic of air quotes. "You know 'em, you love watching 'em put big heads underground," Six Dodos jumped into the ring, "Ladies and Germs, welcome The Danger Dodies!"

"The Danger Dodies? Really?" Murray was insulted just hearing the lame name. He cracked his knuckles, crack his neck, and crack his back. These small fries were going to be a sinch.

The Dodos started off out of nowhere by throwing egg bombs. Murray jumped, catching the aftershock of their connected explosion, and thunder flopped two Dodos into the scalding lava. He bounced right back on his prancing feet, rounding his fists tauntingly. "THAT ALL YOU GOT?!" He bellowed. Three Dodos growled through grit beaks. They dug their talons, scooping rock for traction. Murray ground the balls of his feet, daring them to charge. Bob and Carmelita shielded their eyes. The Dodos charged headfirst. Their rock hard skulls chugging like trains. Murray rolled his eyes and jumped. The Dodos collided, dropping with the worst headaches. A growing shadow filled them with dread. They dared not look as Murray thunder flopped them into the lava. The crowd was at a standstill. So were the other fighters. "Man this is boring." Murray groaned, picking himself up. He enthusiastically clamped a hand on a charging Dodos beak, and then threw him into the only surviving teammate. The fight come to an anticlimactic end when they fell in the lava.

The announcer and crowd were absolutely shocked to silence. Murray exited the ring, slapping some paw to the proud Bob. "W-well...how do ya like that?" The announcer stammered, trapped in awe himself. "The little mammoth has a bit of fight in him!" The crowd mustered a weak applause, murmuring confusedly at how Murray dealt with them so swiftly. "Let's see if his friend has the same muscle!" He motioned to Bob who was already jumping into the ring. He roared at the top of his lungs, shaking and rolling the arena and deafening amped up ears. "You all know these bruisers! They are the local _enforcers_ in the workplace who are compensated by your rations to keep you safe! You know 'em, you love to hate 'em..." Four Sabertooth tigers flipped in the ring. Black streaks ran up their arms, legs, and backs, "Meet the tooth and nail crew, The Deadly Streakers!"

"SERIOUSLY!" Murray heckled on the sidelines. "YOU GUYS CAN'T COME UP WITH BETTER NAMES?!"

"/I kinda like it./" Bob shrugged. Four boomerangs ricocheted painfully off his chest and back, returning to their owners' hands. Bob dropped to his hands and knees, slightly winded by the surprise attack. "/HEY! CHEAP SHOT!/" He roared.

"All's fair in love and war!" One of the saber's taunted. The crowd soaked them up, eagerly waiting for them to send the new guy into the lava. He and one of his friends jumped Bob, restraining his hands behind his back. One of the other saber came around, charging in a full run with a mouthful of teeth ready to sink in him. Bob growled angrily. He twisted his arms loose, digging claws in the backs of his captors. The third man lunged with claws and fangs extended. Bob smashed the two onto the friend like a pair of Cymbals. He laughed goofily then collapsed unconscious. The two still in Bob's grip were seeing bubbling stars. Bob flashed a perilous grin at the lone, gawking saber. He threw his hands up, running away in screaming. Bob threw one guy into him, sending them both into the lava pit. The unconscious guy started to stir, only to have Bob grab him, tie him to his friend by their loincloth straps, and send them hurtling into a tunnel up high to who knows where.

"SWEET T-REX AND CERATOPS STUCK IN TAR!" The raptor announcer hooted cheerfully, exciting the crowd to cheer on Bob. "I don't know where these guys came from, but boy are they are welcomed pair! Let's see how they fair against our reigning champs in the final round!" Carmelita's discipline prevented her from cheering aloud. But she was thrilled by Murray and Bob. They were going to go all the way. "Time for a brief break! I have a live penguin and he's dying for me to eat him! We'll be right back after these messages!" He snapped his fingers.

Two Goofy looking Sabers and a Dodo entered the ring, holding book sized rock slabs. "NEW AT OUR WHEEL DEALS NESTING GROUND, ROUND BECOMES THE NEW SQUARE!" Bob and murray shrugged and left to find something to eat before the final round.

 **xxx**

Carmelita hated commercials. She flipped on her back, thinking she'll take a short nap before Murray and Bob dominate the final rounds. She was questioning why Bentley would send her to back them up. The crowd loves them, the competition is being burned alive, and the announcer is a neutral party with a love for mayhem. This seems like a cut and dry mission to her.

"Bentley worries too much." She snorted, letting her eyes slowly close. Murray and Bob were far from slouches when it came to fighting. She's not surprised in the least how quickly they're making work of the competitors. Recently, they held their own with Enigma and Bison. Compared to that, Carmelita was tempted to mock how long it takes them to defeat these small fries. 15 seconds in place of 30 at most.

"Those two have got to go!" Carmelita shot her eyes open. She flipped on her stomach, drawing her shock pistol. She was baffled. The voice was so loud she thought someone was by her. "No way in Hell am I letting them into our secret tunnel!" The voice, followed by agreeing grunts, was echoing from a hole. Carmelita peered inside to find disgruntled lookie loos frothing at the mouth about Bob and Murray.

"I had to wait MONTHS before even being allowed to watch these fights!" A mammoth whined like a child. "Longer after to set foot in the ring! These two think they're getting in because of a lucky streak? NO CHANCE!"

"I agree!" A Dodo itched the side of his head. "But how can we stop them? Those winch things are gone!" Carmelita glanced at the aloft pillars. There used to be winches that had ropes to trap Bob while he was being tortured.

"No winches required." A saber drooled maliciously. He rubbed his paws together, cackling with a plan in that furry head of his. "I have a fool proof plan for dealing with our pest problem."

"Don't like the sound of that." She whispered. She crept from the hole, returning to see the intermission just now coming to an end. Her shock pistol was fully charged. Lucky for her. She needed a little target practice.

 **xxx**

"AANNDD- _BUURRP!_ " A piece of wing hung between his teeth. The announcer snapped his jaws shut. He slurped the wing down and cleared his throat, excusing himself. "Let's try that again. AANNDD WE'RE BACK...TO THE FINAL ROUND OF THIS BLOOD BATH BRAWL!" The crowd was in a tizzy, lifting skins with support for Murray and Bob. They became favorites to win in this showdown. Murray and Bob worried it would go to their heads. If it already hasn't. "I think we've kept you all waiting long enough! How's about we get the match you've been waiting for started, HUH?!" The crowd was in an uproar for that idea. "I KNEW YOU'D LIKE THAT! SO LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT OUR THE LITTLE TREAT WE HAVE SET UP!" He gestured a paw at Bob and Murray, "Our two contenders here will be partnering up to challenge our reigning team!" They waved to the crowd, flexing to establish their credibility in the sure to be quick bout. "If they win, they will be granted full rights and privileges that open caves to the secrets of the village, and have bragging rights for the next year! Should they lose, on the other hand, they will be cooked and fed to our neighborhood T-Rex just outside the valley." Cackles came from those with stakes in Murray and Bob losing. The rest rooted for them to take the entire contest.

"We've got this, Bob. You ready?" He nudged Bob.

"/Born ready!/" Bob barked.

"ALRIGHT! LETS GET THIS FINAL MATCH STARTED!" He directed a finger in the air. Five Mammoths landed in the ring, shaking Murray and Bob off their feet. "They are the five times heavy tusked champs! They turn solid bone and rock into powder in place of dust! Ladies and Gentlemen...I give you…" Murray swore he heard a drum roll, "THE TUSKY KILLMEN!"

"OH-COME-ON!" Murray couldn't take anymore of the lame team names. Seriously. 'The Coyotes' from the old west were a more clever name! "That's it! I'mma gonna pound you into next week for these stupid names!" A trunk constricted his neck from behind, lifting him clear off the ground.

"CONSIDER THIS NEXT WEEK!" Mammoth 1 twisted and sent Murray flying. He bounced painfully off a pillar, rebounding right back into Mammoth one's fist, slammed head first in the ground.

"/MURRAY!/" Bob ran to save him. He tripped and fell on his stomach. Trunks had him by the ankles. The two mammoths chuckled dangerous. The cracked their trunks like whips, smacking Bob a couple times in the rock. The flipped him around, caught him by the wrists, and drove two devastating punches in his stomach. White hot pain robbed him of air. The world became a blur.

"Champs?! HA!" Mammoth 2 grabbed Bob by the neck. 1 and 3 held Murray like a toro cape. "TRY-CHUMPS!" Bob was thrown into Murray. The pair skipped painfully along the ground, stopping mere inches before falling into the lava. Carmelita's heart sank. They were getting the snot beaten out of them. And their competition wasn't done with them yet.

"Well folks…" The announcer wheezed nervously, pulling at his collar, "We-we can't say we didn't expect a negative upset. I guess our contenders are-WAIT! SOMETHING'S HAPPENING!" The rules were being changed up. While four of the Mammoth restrained the worn out Murray and Bob, the lead Mammoth was joined by two sabers. They carried a huge slingshot on a leaf with two sharpened, wooden darts soaking in a black fluid. "BY THE DINOS! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HOW DID THEY SNEAK VELOCI VENOM INTO HERE?!"

"My cue!" Carmelita took aim. _Doubting Bentley - scratch off list._ The cheaters were in her crosshairs. She just needed to wait for the right moment. The lead mammoth loaded the slingshot. Carefully, he set the dart - more like a wooden stake - in the sling. He pulled it all the way back. Murray and Bob closed their eyes. "NOW!" Carmelita fired five times. The bolts struck the five mammoths in the back and heads, toppling them to a fiery grave. Murray and Bob dropped to their hands and knees, never happier to be on the ground. The sabers hissed, baring their fangs in the direction of the shots. Carmelita leapt from her vantage point, shooting the two sabers and all the guards lining the walls, sticking the landing in front of Murray and Bob. "ANY OF YOU CHUMPS WANNA TAKE ME ON?!" She dared the gobsmacked crowd. They all booked it in a second. She puffed her bangs boastfully. "I didn't think so." An _oof_ diverted her attention to the announcer who tripped over himself trying to get away.

The raptor announcer crawled on his stomach, whimpering pitifully in prayer that he'll make it out before he's spotted. Boots stamping snow in his face killed his hopes. Looking up fearfully he met Carmelita's death dagger glare. Bob and Murray emerged from behind her. They ripped off their costumes to show they were done playing dressup.

"Okay...okay...take it easy-AH!" Carmelita shoved her pistol in his nose. "WHADDYA WANT?! WHADDYA WANT?!" He squealed.

"The secret entrance to the mining operation in the mountain! WHERE IS IT?!" She barked. The raptor was in tears seeing his life flash before his eyes.

 **xxx**

"Behind the waterfall?!" Bentley, Alauna, and Sly chimed confusedly. So simple and yet so difficult to find. How many times did they pass by and not think to just take a glimpse in that direction.

"That's a stretch of molten rock!" Sly warned. He had the scorched feet to prove it. Too bad his prisoners costume doesn't come in other sizes. "How do they get in and out of there without getting hot feet?"

"Mammoths or anybody with hooves instead of feet have a higher tolerance for hot and cold ground." Bentley explained, running calculations on the tunnel mentioned and the site of Grizz's old statue. "SUCCESS! My readings indicate that there is an 83 probability that the humming you heard, Sly is in fact the operation the guard sneak in and out of daily."

"How is that a cause for success?" Slytunkhamen pondered, lost on the math.

"It's too soon to say without investigating, but if there are two ways inside and we take out one..." He trailed off, hearing Alauna's epiphany ding as a light bulb.

"Then we can secure victory and an escape once we bring it down!" She cheered. "But how do we bring down the mountain without tipping Bison off that we're catching on?"

"That I'll have to devise at a later time." Bentley regretted to say. "Right now our mission is to infiltrate that mining operation, get some shots for our endgame." He smirked impishly at Alauna. "Allie, you and I haven't paired up yet. Care to join me?" He extended a hand.

"I thought you'd never ask." Playing charmed, Alauna accepted the hand and they excused themselves from the crowd.

"Are they together?" Slytunkhamen asked out of the blue.

"One would think so." Sly half joked.

 **xxx**

Bison was seated comfortably in a plush, reclined chair. A glass of scotch in hand, a cozy fire crackling, Bison immersed himself in well deserved rest, taxed out from hoofing it and his latest brawl with Murray and those heathens he'd allied himself with.

How does he get drawn into these things? Sure being in a bunker with numbing beverages was preferable to being frozen. But, at the very least, while frozen he was able to enjoy an eternal retirement, let life pass him by until the day sweet death carried him off. No such luck. Here he is again, dragged into a young mans world domination game as extra muscle. To top off his aggravation, he's taking orders from another pipsqueak who couldn't fight a jack rabbit with a bum leg. The only difference being he had respect for Arpeggio. Penelope is a little girl too small for the britches she thinks she can wear. Her mouth was only dangerous when she's on the other end of a phone or inside one of her techy suits. To add the the humiliation, he's paired with a masked chick who got her butt handed to her by a crippled turtle.

"I'm gettin' too old for these kinds of activities." He smacked his lips tiredly. "No need to get my britches in a knot though. Once I'm done with mah task here, I'll have that mouse send me back to Canada so I can live in retirement."

"You retirement may not come as swiftly as you plan." A posh accent frizzed Bison's fur. Lazily glancing to the side, the masked devil herself entered the dimly lit living room.

"Shouldn't you be restin' that bruised ego of yers?" He commented curtly.

"My ego will heal. Not so sure about yours."She retorted haughtily.

"And why is that?" Enigma dangled a destroyed spy device tauntingly. Bison knit his brow at the device. His eyes widened when he spotted the camera scope. "What in Sam Hill is that?"

"According to our friend, Penelope, it is an improved grapple cam by the turtle genius." She strutted over, dropping the cam in his huge hand. "It would appear you had a tail that was crushed at your door step."

Bison angrily crushed the bug, imagining it to be that four eyed turtles head. "Those no good varmints! Spyin' on me? Desecratin' mah home?! I should have blown that turtle to smithereens when we last crossed paths!" He threw it in the fireplace, watching it char and melt. He huffed through his nostrils, longing for a chance to make soup out of Bentley. Then a horrifying realization made him sink. If that little bauble was at his door, that means..."Seven Hells! I was followed! The Cooper Gang knows where I'm hole up!"

"That does appear to be a problem." Enigma studied her nails, taking very little interest in his problems. "Just fruit for thought: what are the odds they know what is happening down stairs?" Bison shoved Enigma out of his way, growling loudly. A door opened and slammed shut, shaking portraits and trophies to the floor. Enigma snickered under her breath. "How adorable men are when they are rankled."

 **xxx**

 **(Mission 3 - The Back Door)**

Alauna and Bentley had a fun time weaseling their way behind the waterfall. Rumors about the turn of events during the fights spread like a wildfire. So being careful is a major priority. Finding the place? That was another matter.

There were dozens of waterfalls in the valley. Half of them dead ends, and the rest missing a molten rock pathway. Carmelita was about to feel duped if the announcer lied just to get her gun out of his face. Sly swears one of the waterfalls has a path of paved molten rock. He rode his ball and chain to get a priceless treasure once before. As his friends, Alauna and Bentley were going to give him the benefit of the doubt. Nevertheless, Bentley ran a scan for the lift just in case.

Bentley tapped Alauna elbow. He guided her to a swinging cage in front of a furious waterfall. She shrugged, willing to take a look. Alauna killed the guard patrolling a wooden bridge. The entrance behind the waterfall was marked by a penguin monument. The ice transformed into a cave. Brushes of heat touched their skin. They were heading in the right direction. Alauna unsheathed her shoto, keeping close on Bentley's side.

"It goes without saying that we'll need to mind ourselves from this point on." Bentley whispered. He and Alauna skipped across pitfalls leading to an endless abyss. "It's highly probable that Bison's heard about the fights."

"Would be as surprising if hadn't?"

"No. It'd be suspicious." The two ignored the crude cave paintings, including the carved monkey head with the plus and minus eyes.

The heat was stronger when Bentley and Alauna cleared the pitfalls. A red-orange glow flooded an adjacent cave's wall. The paintings of dinosaurs came to life in the glow. Bentley and Alauna cautiously peered around the corner. Nothing there but the hot rocks Sly mentioned, and a sort of rectangular pedestal. The holding place for the treasure found there.

"My readings indicate we're below the hotspot of present day tech. That's got to be the lift to Bison's mining operation."

"Kudos to us, but how do we plan to get across?" She tapped her boots sarcastically. "I left my heat resistant boots back in the present."

"You always ask the right question." Bentley gushed. He yanked Alauna's hand, pulling her into his lap. Alauna blushed at the unflattering and quite embarrassing position. She held on around his neck when his boosters went into overdrive. Bentley pressed a button and hovered swiftly across the molten rocks. The intense heat overwhelmed the boosters, killing their power. Thankfully he and Alauna landed on the cool, safe pedestal.

"That was rather fun." She bat her eyes flirtatiously. "Can we do it again?"

Bentley coughed dryly, blushing at her teasing. "Maybe later when we aren't risking our lives." Alauna sighed dismally, dismounting Bentley's lap. The pedestal creaked, springing slightly up and down. Definitely a lift.

"So how are we going up?" Alauna knocked on the wall, and searched for a button. Bentley scoured his scanners, trying to find maybe a code or perhaps a movement that might move them. "I doubt 'up sesame' will do the trick." Stone slabs slammed closed, freezing Bentley and Alauna in utter disbelief. Their feet grounded when the lift started to move up. "I can't believe that worked."

"I don't think it was you." Bentley bore the bad news. "Someone's activated the lift."

"Wonder if they're fond of guests?" Alauna prepped her revolver. The doors opened to three mammoths.

"What the?!" Bentley and Alauna waved casually. "INTRU-" Three green darts pierced their trunks. They almost immediately dropped asleep. Alauna blinked confusedly. She didn't get off a shot. Bentley reloaded his dart gun.

"Sorry, Allie. Best for the guards to think these guys were lazy rather than dead." Alauna bobbed her head in agreement. Sleeping workers is less suspicious.

The ground may not be scalding hot rocks, but it wasn't any cooler than downstairs. Bentley and Alauna worked up a swept traveling the surprisingly narrow cave. They were sure it'd be bigger given the size of some of the workers. Torches lit the stark, humid cavern. The flames were flickering regularly. A sign of a breeze that was stifled by intense heat. The distinct and powerful aroma of metal, sweat, and sweat soaked fur made their eyes water.

"God. Reminds me of when Murray went on that bathing strike." Alauna plugged her nose.

"Oh man! I passed out in the van when the windows were up." Bentley turned greener recalling the nausea. "Windows open did nothing."

"I believe it."

"Stop!" Alauna stuck a foot in his wheel.

Bentley almost flew from his chair. He was about to ask what when he saw her ears flicking. Straining his own hearing, he found the voices she picked up on. Obnoxious, boisterous, and foul language voices a short distance from them. Stay in a frequently traveled tunnel with nowhere to hide struck them as foolish.

Alauna took point, keeping her gun at the ready. Bentley wishes to avoid a fight, but knows its inevitable if they're discovered. Alauna put her back at a curved wall, ordering Bentley to stop with a hand. Bentley swallowed a large lump. He locked and loaded his dart gun. Alauna leaned a small ways. Her jaw dropped in shock.

"What do you see?" Bentley whispered, wheeling closer.

"A whole dug out cave of rocks and sweaty workers." She wasn't exaggerating.

Wooden support beams lessening chances of a cave in. Rocks and ores separated into several varieties of piles. Alauna wasn't able to properly assess the cavern. Bentley tapped her shoulder. He pointed up. The high ceilings had beams running across. Plenty of shadows to mask their presence. And, lucky for Bentley, their were packed crates stacked as a good set of stairs. Bentley rushed in first, jumping the crates. Alauna climbed after him. Her foot slipped on rotted wood. Bentley caught her, keeping her aloft. A saber guard thought he heard something and turned. Bentley and Alauna froze where they were. Alauna was curled into a ball. She and Bentley worried he wouldn't be able to hold her. The second the guard shrugged and looked the other way, Alauna and Bentley exhaled, and he pulled her to safety.

"Where would I be without you?" She panted.

"In a frozen river." He winked, referring to her fight with Enigma. Alauna interest in the joke was replaced by her bewilderment for his _walking_ miracle. That mystery would need to come later.

Bentley wheeled to the perfect spot for their recon. Concealed in case wandering eyes moved up, and a perfect view of the entire cavern. And they were gob smacked. Bison and his newly acquired muscle were unhealthily busy during their tirade in the ice age.

Dozens of torches, plus an industrial sized furnace lit up the whole cavern, casting that torturous heat wave that drew beads of sweat on contact. Dodos and Sabers were hacking and whacking at the dense walls ferociously with pickaxes, spilling sweat into the buckets near them. Bentley was sick thinking they had to drink that. Drills were discarded in a corner. Must have been too complicated for them to use. Mammoths were hauling crates, stacking them. This was a mining operation if ever they saw one. Alauna and Bentley worked up a sweat just watching them.

Running a hand over the wall, Bentley determined Bison's been at this for a long time. How long wasn't important. What is important is determining the cause behind it and dissecting it before anything flourishes.

"Time to get to work." Bentley decreed. He opened his Turtle Tablet, creating a folder for a new chalk talk. "Get some shots and I'll upload them into a master plan." He chuckled maniacally, rubbing his palms together.

"Have I ever told you you need you own villainous cat on your lap?"

Pet pursed his lips, petting his tablet, "You come to me on this day, the day of our photo op-" Alauna put a finger to this lips. She put her binocucom on, wanting to return to work before he got too ahead of himself. Bentley wobbled his head proudly. He thought he did pretty good.

The first thing Alauna snapped a pic of was the industrial furnace against the wall. "That's a pretty low tech furnace." She commented. "Factories that create glass and porcelain figurines use ones of similar model."

"Furnaces of this grade are only for hardening and melting. Perfect for turning any substance into a malleable form, or petrifying it."

Which brought Alauna to her next picture. She zoomed in as a Dodo guard yanked contoured block of ice from the wall. She took a close up photo, discerning a platinum colored chunk of rock in the center.

"What do you make of that?" Alauna inquired.

"I...I don't believe it!" Bentley grasped at his ready to stroke out heart. Alauna pat his back, massaging it so he'd calm down before having an ulcer. "Get a shot of the crate near him so I'm sure." Alauna never turned from him when she got him the photo. He uploaded it like the wind, blowing it up ridiculously large. He studied the texture, the specks imbedded, the size and shape, and of course took an interest in the color. "Sweet Crisis on Mandalore! Do you know what that is?!" He grabbed Alauna's ears, smashing their faces so close she could see his head exploding.

"Apparently you do. Care to spare me dying of suspense?"

"It's is the lost mineral of the Elemental Periodic table!"Bentley shoved her head toward the crate of those sparkling ores. "My friend you are looking at the very rare, very valuable, very present day extinct mineral known as..." There was a drumroll provided by the rumbling furnace, "Raritanium!" (Ha-Ha)

"Catchy."

"More than catchy!" He shook her violently by the shoulders. Fireworks were coming out of this guy's ear. "Alauna this sort of element was found in Australia, but was deemed worthless because it lost all its properties through the course of time."

"And it's in its purest form now?"

"So pure that Bison will be able to level forests the size of Texas if he collects enough."

Alauna's own mind exploded. She imagined Bison hacking at forests like a madman, standing upon his victory, laughing out loud. "This be bad." She replied kindly.

Bentley studied the raritanium being extracted as an ice block, then noticed a mammoth stick similar ice blocks in the furnace. "I see. That's why they lost their properties."

"I'm guessing it has something to do with the ice age being melted."

"On the right page as usual. The ice traps and insulates minerals that comprise the ore. After global warming evaporated it..."

"The properties went with it."

From what she read in Bison's bio, he's a seasoned lumberjack with the destructive capabilities of three trains. All he'd need to do is fashion himself good axes, get a few good men, and the agricultural world will be as extinct as the dinosaurs.

Mammoths hauled a sheet packed with the Raritanium. Dried water spots were gradually scorched to jet black warped spots. He dumped the load into a crate, nailing it shut. He and another carried three crates of those rocks at a time, dropping them to a thick plank of wood lying on the floor. One of them tugged three times. Chains hoisted the payload into a hole in the ceiling, carrying it off to who knows where.

"Bet you anything those are heading to Bison." Alauna declared. Bentley had to agree. Bison would want first crack at the primest of the raritanium. "We need to bring this place down! And I see a way to do that." She took a photo of a Saber guard pushing a crate of duds along a newly installed railroad track. They led into a tunnel she couldn't see too well into. She hooked her legs to the beam, hanging upside down. There was a light at the end of that tunnel, and she had a suspicion it didn't lead to heaven. "What do you make of these?"

"Hmm..." Bentley ignored the tracks and measured the tunnel on a geographical scale. "According to my readings, that tunnel leads to an old dinosaur nesting ground. It's been abandoned."

"Maybe Spot can fill us in on why."

"Agreed. We've spent enough time here." He was talking about his chair being drenched in his sweat. The two crept along the beams, keeping the slaving guards in sight in case they wise up.

"EVERYBODY STOP!"

The workers, Bentley, and Alauna froze. Everything went dead silent. Bentley and Alauna felt their skin melt clean off their bones at the gruff, southern drawl. Booming steps quaked the cavern, shaking rocks loose. A couple thunked Alauna and Bentley on the head. All heads turned to a frightfully dark tunnel. No late able to shed the storming creature approaching. Bison entering the cavern cast a thunderous cloud over Alauna and Bentley. Bison was fuming from the nose and they shuddered to know why.

"You don't think he knows we're down here, do you?" Alauna squeaked so quietly she almost couldn't hear herself.

"I don't think that's what has him in a fury."

"Listen up!" Bison's roared made everyone wince. He threw a smashed piece of equipment to the floor. Bentley's shattered when he recognized it as the grapple cam. "Those blasted Cooper Gang varmints a fixin' tuh make a play on my mining operation! You see hide, hair, or raccoon of that gang, smush 'em and bring 'em tuh me!" Alauna and Bentley shared lack of confidence stares. Their upper hand went with that busted grapple cam. "I swear one of you lets a single one of them get in here, I'm gonna throw you into that furnace mahself and cook ya with beans! Am I clear?"

"Y-YES SIR!" Their voices raised a couple of octaves. Alauna and Bentley didn't wait for Bison to leave. They rushed down and scrambled out of that cave.

"So much for the upper hand!" Bentley shot the three guard from before with another dart. He slammed a hand on a button, thankful the lift never left its place. "Bison's going to be expecting us."

"Well there's one saving grace." The doors closed. There were never more thankful to be going down. "The guards will never admit to what happened in the arena. You saw how terrified they were."

"Yes, but we can't hope for a 50-50 outcome. We need to account for all plausible scenarios and be ready to move."

"I take that to mean we have a long night ahead of us?"

"A very long night."

 **To be continued**


	15. Let It Snow

**Let It Snow**

 _ **A plan is about to get underway. Bison has plans to make a new axe, the Cooper Gang has it on good word from Bison that Penelope is working with a pigeon, and the time has come to rid the ice age of Bison.**_

 **Moving on.**

 **xxx**

Bangs, knocks, grumblings, and curses caused a racket in the van. Sparks from welding, shrieks from shredding, and the distinct sound of a hammer pounding anything and everything. It's a wonder the bright lights flashing out the windows and the noise haven't given away their hideaway. Carmelita slept with ear muffs stifling the loud noise. Bob and Spot, being used to loud noises, slept like babies. Spot awoke occasionally, intrigued by the unique sounds, then fell back to sleep almost immediately. Murray was snoring so loud he had yet to hear the incessant noises. A good thing. He needed his rest more than anyone. He's the Cooper Gang's heavy hitter. Slytunkhamen was too astonished by the level of determination and obsession rattling the van to think of sleeping. He felt sort of foolish. He must be the only one impressed by the display. Alauna and Sly, half asleep and half awake, kept a tired eye on the hardworking turtle held up inside. Unbeknownst to them, Slytunkhamen shuffled closer, hoping to fall asleep monitoring the turtle.

"Think we should slip sleeping pills in his coffee?" Sly proposed, scared Bentley will work himself blind.

Alauna scoffed. Great minds do think alike at strange times. "I'm afraid our turtle developed an immunity." She drearily informed him.

"When'd that happen?" Sly gawked.

"While constructing his time machine. He used sleeping pills so much they stopped working."

"You visited him?"

"A couple of times." She smirked, snuggling her back to the log. "Your living with Carmelita freed everyone's schedules. Must have been exhausting keeping up your amnesia." Sly blushed being thrust back into that situation. He can admit he was lying the whole time about the amnesia, but man was it worth it to him. "By the by, you look good in a black turtle neck."

"Ah-ha! You were there!" Sly knew he saw a shadow lurking by Carmelita's place. A very distinct laugh tickled his impetuous side. He's pleased Alauna didn't deny it. Slytunkhamen was warmed by their banter. They reminded him of a brother and sister. He's happy. The future of his lineage was bright as the sun. "You ever visit Murray?"

"A few times. He dragged me on a ride in one of his races. But because we lived in close proximity of each other, Bentley was my neighbor." Deep rancor narrowed her eyes to slits. "I stumbled upon Penelope during another one of my visits." Her voice lowered to a contemptuous treble. Penelope's name is a repulsive after taste on her tongue.

"And what'd you think of her?" It's obvious what she thought of her now. He's curious what lied beneath the disdain. What her initial assessment was before the betrayal.

Alauna's ears folded back. "She's the first person since he landed in that chair to bring light back to Bentley's eyes." The adorable pictures of them together; immeasurable happiness overflowing from Bentley like a raging fountain. _I was never able to make him that happy._ "For her to hurt him the way she has..." She grit her fangs, puncturing her lip. Sly, and Slytunkhamen in the background, stiffened apprehensive by the blood dripping to her chin. "There will be blood, Sly. I am warning you now." The night's glow case a razor gleam to her fangs and eyes. She resembled a rabid demon. Slytunkhamen's stomach curdled nauseatingly hearing such a tone from her. Alauna can be so tender and kind at times. Motherly, if one were to take a step further. Her emotional shifts shocked him tenfold over.

"Just make sure to keep it to a minimum." Sly snuggled to the soft dirt, already falling asleep. "And don't kill her."

Alauna turned over, letting the protracting darkness claim her. "I make no promises."

Slytunkhamen found those words chillingly familiar. Padelaytra swore to them for every person that wronged him. _Forgive me, Alauna. But..._ Slytunkhamen gazed to Spot, _You both are cut from the same cloth._ Of this he was certain.

Night gradually faded. Morning's refreshing greyish blue hue crept to the sky, masking the stars and moon. Bentley worked well into the next morning, growing a five o'clock shadow. And it's three in the morning. His head bobbed, tired eyes barely managing to stay open. Duct on the lids didn't help. He went through his fifth rockstar after downing ten red bulls. The van floor was riddled with cans and spilled liquid. And the indescribable musk of one in dire need of a shower lured flies.

"EUREKA!" The van jumped in his cheer. The crash scared everyone awake. Their weapons drawn and aimed at nothing. "I'VE DONE IT!" He kicked the doors open. His tablet in one hand, and a half full rockstar in the other. Flies swarmed at his sweaty pits. The stubbly hair and sagging cheeks made Carmelita, Murray, and Sly cringe. "I have the perfect plan for ridding the ice age of Bison!"

"Anywhere in that plan where you to get some sleep?" Murray stated, gesturing to his fatigued body.

"Who needs sleep?!" Bentley downed the rockstar, crushed the can on his head, and threw it in the van. Alauna counted down from five on her fingers. "We have an operation to get started, and we need to do it before Penelo...ugh...Penny...dread…" Alauna snapped her fingers. She called it. Bentley wobbled languidly. His glasses slipped off his nose. Alauna caught them between her fingers. His eyes, losing light, steadily closed. The tablet left his fingers, caught by Sly. He slump forward, toppling out of his chair. Murray dove and caught Bentley seconds before he landed on a gathering of rocks. Immediately after, Bentley was fast asleep. The snoring was loud enough to scare Pterodactyls off.

"And it happened." Alauna giggled. Sly handed her the tablet. "Took longer than I thought, but it happened." She pet his sinking forehead.

"What PRECISELY happened?" Slytunkhamen prodded the limp Bentley.

"He worked himself to death." Sly pinched Bentley's arm, letting it drop like a noodle. He smirked at the abundance of energy drinks. "Energy drinks, a plan, no sleep - Bentley went on like a trooper until he ran out of steam."

"Does this happen often?"

"Only when he's had a stroke of genius."

"Genius is too kind…" Alauna stroked the tablet screen. She'd sweep the pages one way, then go in reverse to confer, and skip three pages ahead. She beamed in awe, scouring schematic after schematic of Bentley's brilliance. "Bentley...plotted everything top to bottom. Even where to lure Bison so we may properly deal with him." A dry laugh escaped. She was blown away by Bentley's plan. However, Bentley's mentioning Penelope bothered her. She knelt to the ground. The others gathered around, anxious to see what had Alauna's tail wagging. She displayed the overview map of the village. "The tunnel of that mining operation we discovered - it leads to a dinosaur nesting ground." She traced the tunnel's curvy path, coming to a wide space surrounded by snow capped mountains. "In order for the plan to be a success, Bentley needs us to lure Bison to this nesting ground. That's where we take care of him."

"Then as the only high ranking officer here," Carmelita swooped the tablet from Alauna. She growled disdainfully. "I'll take charge of executing the mission plan." She's done it before in Merry Old England. With her at the helm, there's no way they can fail. "I'm sure I can compensate until Bentley wakes up."

"And, Carmelita," Alauna dusted herself off, rising to her feet, "How do you plan to do that when you can't decipher Bentley notes?" She challenged, swiping the screen. Carmelita's eyes nearly fell out of her head. Cross outs, algebra, trigonometry, a shorthand she's never seen. Is that Greek or German in the corner? "Bentley's rough drafts are always a mess before he fine tunes them into a readable plan. Lucky for you I speak and read Bentley." Alauna plucked the tablet, boastfully smirking. "I'll take charge, if it's alright with you." Carmelita's cheeks turned angrily red. "Good." Alauna gave the plan a quick skim. Spot, Bob, Carmelita, Sly, and Slytunkhamen have key roles in the plan. Murray and Bentley are excluded. "I see…" She hummed.

"Having trouble?" Carmelita smugly cooed.

Alauna ignored her, addressing Murray. "Big Guy, looks like you and Bentley are meant to fix the van for our escape." Murray balled fingers into fists, hunching his shoulders, ready for action. Alauna split the screen, accessing the GPS app Bentley developed. She shared the nesting grounds' location with the app, then sent it to the van's own GPS. "Your destination is cued in. Work your magic and beat us there."

"It'll be done in a New York Minute!" Murray lied Bentley down on the back seat, putting a blanket over him. He was going to be out for a while. The time machine aside, the van received a sufficient beating from the jump from ancient Egypt. Popping the hood, the superficial damage was glaringly apparent. The radiator hose was worn, and tearing. The radiator itself needed water. Coolant and power steering fluid are empty. The battery was lacking juice. He had a spare. The undercarriage, the engine - the van was in dire need of work. Bentley can put any finishing touches on the time machine when he wakes up.

"Alright, gather round Lads and Lass." Alauna called them to order. Bentley would join them after a couple hours.

(Chalk Talk)

 _ **Operation: Roll Back the Rock**_

" _Okay everyone, time to get this operation underway._ " Alauna pinched the CT emblem, opening up Bentley's carefully formulated plan. " _Our presence here isn't exactly inconspicuous,_ " Guards searching under rocks and shining fires into dark caves confirmed so, " _So every second is going to count. Here's how we'll begin,_ " She brought up the binocucoms, " _After identifying how Enigma located us, Bentley implemented a means to scramble our signal to prevent intruders from listening in on our conversations._ "

" _But we've been using them fine!_ " Carmelita hissed. Photos show them using the binocucoms like normal. " _If we were being hacked, we would have known about it._ "

" _NO…_ " Alauna brought up an image depicting all four of Bentley's arms working on independent projects, " _Because Bentley was silently running a program for the duration of our chats. He only recently fixed it into a permanent solution._ " Carmelita sputtered her lips. " _Moving on. Our first order of business_ ," A cartoonish display of Bison within the underground," _Is to lure Bison topside._ " Bison's 2D image trailed a dotted line to the icy surface. " _Spot and Carmelita, that's your job._ " Spot and Carmelita were portrayed pummeling guards." _You two need to cause a big enough commotion that Bison will have no choice but to intercept._ " Bison, steam spouting from his nostrils, was on the surface, roaring.

" _Why am I paired up with the cave leopard?_ "

Spot snarled in retaliation of her heinous remark. "/ _He wants to know what's wrong with him._ /" Bob translated.

" _Spot, please endure her. Her faith in Bentley is barred by her own arrogance._ " Alauna hissed.

" _You stupid-"_

" _Once Bison is outside, you two need to keep him distracted until the rest of us are finished._ " A horn serving as a crude signal bellowed across the screen. " _We'll signal you when it's time to lure Bison to the ,_ " Alauna dropped her and Slytunkhamen's figures inside the windy ice caves, " _You and I are going to play bomb experts and blow Bison's hideout to smithereens._ "

" _How will we accomplish this?_ "

" _Bentley's devised thermal grenades that we can remotely detonate._ " A remote along with a grey and grenade appeared on screen. " _Once these are set, we find a safe place and place Bison's hideout._ "

" _An excellent plan!_ " Slytunkhamen praised Bentley's seemingly flawless idea.

" _Next we come to Bob and Sly._ "

" _Oh yeah! Dream team!_ " Sly boasted. He had the pleasure of inserting himself and Bob to the plan.

" _You two will be responsible for the underground operation._ " She placed Bob and Sly at the furnace. " _Any guards, take them out and then do the same to the belt, the furnace, everything! Leave nothing._ "

"/ _You can count on us, Alauna!_ /"

" _What about the entrance at Grizz's statue?_ " Murray circled the stump of Grizz's fallen statue. " _Guards could ambush you from there or the secret entrance._ "

" _Bentley planned to bomb the statue entrance._ " Bentley's photo showed him bombing the entrance. " _Unfortunately he's down and out..._ " Alauna drew birds circling his head. " _So Ahmen and I will have to destroy it before we do our job."_

 _"We will be swift!" Slytunkhamen promised_.

" _We all know our tasks. Again, time is not on our side!_ " Alauna forewarned, stressing the importance of their swift actions. " _We are anything but invisible to Penelope or her cohorts. It's likely we're expected to make a play. Stay on your toes, and stay alive!_ "

(Chalk Talk End)

 **xxx**

The arisen morning was quiet. Too quiet. The distant mountains coaxed the sun aloft. A common beckoning for the neighboring predators and prey to begin sweeping the land. Instead, all was eerily quiet. Gunga village was normally flooded with boorish howling, roaring, and fighting.

Enigma, scaling the icy pathway, noted the silence. The whispering wind in her ear. She is familiar with this silence. It bodes ill. She gradually halted at the statue stump, straining her hidden ears to detect the smallest of irregular sounds. _What surprises does the day hold?_ She placed her hand to the stump's side, scooting a slot of ice over. A thermal keypad bleeped animatedly. She pressed in a code. Clicks of unlatching locks reverberated the ground. The stump turned left 360 degrees. Exhausting steam drew a 15 foot rectangle in the ice. The stump and surrounding slab of ice ascended as an icy elevator. Enigma entered, and stoically let the elevator submerge her.

Two Mammoth guards standing watch by the wooden gates fell over dead. Slytunkhamen and Alauna anxiously waited for the elevator to lock in place. They crept on their tiptoes, grimacing at Enigma's entry. "Sly, we have a problem."

" _Already?_ "

"Judging from the schematics Bentley drew, Enigma's entered the mines from the statue."

" _And here I was worried this mission would be boring._ "

"Is he always this jovial during missions of life or death?" Slytunkhamen disparaged.

"It's how he copes with complications." She shrugged. Alauna wasn't one to pass blame. She often jokes during serious situations. Slytunkhamen, flipping the tablet in bewilderment, could hardly make heads or tails of what Bentley's intentions are. "We're going to place the bombs as planned." Alauna flipped the tablet right side up for him, directing him via image where to put his bombs. "Carmelita, you and Spot should get started."

 **xxx**

"I already know that!" She snarled venomously. "I don't need YOU to tell me!" She heatedly hung up, frothing at the mouth. "Gets to hold the tablet and thinks she commands everyone!" Spot babbled and drooled with a concerned look on his face, petting Carmelita lovingly. "I have no idea what you're saying…" She exhaled defeatedly, scratching Spot behind the ear. "But thanks." Spot purred happily, leaning in on Carmelita's fingers. "Now let's get started." Carmelita twirled her pistol, loading the magazine to full.

What does she have to work with? Guards over there, penguins over there, and a sheer ice wall and giant penguin sculptures. A menacing smile split Carmelita's face in half. "Got it." Carmelita fired rampant volleys, demolishing the penguin statues in seconds. The ruckus caused a tremor which shook ice spikes free. They shattered to crystal on the ground.

"HEY!" Mammoth and Saber guard roared. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

"REDECORATING!" Carmelita wildly fired at the Le Paradox drop crates, the ground, and the wall. Ice and wood splintered in every direction. Spot and the guards hit the ground, shielding their heads from the debris. Carmelita spun her pistol as the magazine was emptied, and puffed the steam off the barrel. Spot and the Guards quivered in their fetal positions. Each poked an eye open. Their jaws hit the ground. Carmelita snickered in her smoking battle zone. The guards growled, baring their teeth at her. Carmelita dared the guards to come at her. The guards climbed to their knees. Spot clasped their heads from behind and smashed them together, rendering them unconscious. "Nice job." Spot flicked his fur, finding nothing to his work. "Now what else can we break so the bison comes out of his hole?"

"HOWS ABOUT YOUR NECK!" Two burly, furry hands clamped to Carmelita's neck. Spot shrieked loudly. Bison crushed her neck in his hands, savoring the feel of her bones bending. Her feet flailed wildly in mid air. The icy ground was gone from her soles. Pressure swelling her head like a balloon placed her in the Contessa's clutches. "You think you can come to my home, TO MY ERA, and try to take away what I worked my entire life to achieve?" Carmelita choked on her restrained air. Her eyes were close to popping out of their sockets. "I say to you, DIE!" _CRUNCH!_ "AAAHHH…!" Bison wailed in agony, dropping Carmelita. Spot had his claws anchored in Bison's biceps. Fangs pierced the curve of his shoulder. Carmelita gagged as air filled her lungs. Spots cleared her vision. Bison wrestled to pry Spot off of him, slamming him into scorched walls and the railing.

"HOLD ON, SPOT!" Carmelita tackled Bison from the front, interlacing her legs to hinder his movements. "DON'T LET HIM GO!" Spot blathered a swear to never let him go.

"GET-LET GO-STOP-YOU ROTTEN…" Bison cursed venomously, punching and kicking without the slightest precision. He elbowed Carmelita in the back, which she countered with a bite into his side. Bison went to punch Spot, and ended up punching himself. He dug grooves in the ground struggling to stay standing. Guards attempted to jump in and help. The furry flailing arms of both Bison and Spot send them over the edge. A stretch of wood painfully met Carmelita's lower back. A crack sent prickles of pain shooting through her spine. Still she clung. Her legs left Bison's. "THAT'S IT!" Hot breath sputtered out his nostrils. He regained his footing. He tossed his body weight over. Spot and Carmelita were sent with him in a bumpy tumble down a curving slope.

Slytunkhamen and Alauna arrived as the trio came to an unpleasant stopped at a boulder. Slytunkhamen cringed behind the makeshift staff Bentley created on the fly the previous night. "Are they going to be alright?" Slytunkhamen fretted.

"If it were that easy to stop Carmelita, I'd have thrown her off a cliff YEARS ago." That is a guarantee with an overwhelming probability of coming true.

"You and she argue like kittens over a toy." Slytunkhamen huskily bounced a brow, "Is Sly the toy you crave?" Alauna stomped on his toe. "YOUCH!"

Alauna ground the toe of her boot on his toes. An irked smirk darkened her irritated expression. "Shall we return to our work?" She crooned. She put on the pressure to coerce his answer faster. Slytunkhamen bobbed his head rapidly. "As you will." Her boot left his toes. Slytunkhamen never felt such soothing relief. "And, to answer your question, Sly and I settled our yearnings years ago. Carmelita is his new arm candy." She snatched the staff, strutting leisurely to the calmed wind cave.

At the risk of incurring her wrath, Slytunkhamen continued his quiz. "Then why are you and she so virulent to one another?" The closing entrance startled the pair.

"I'm afraid that's a story for another time." Alauna sheepishly stroked hair behind her ear. Sly and Carmelita's charade implanted a nasty taste in either one's mouth. Carmelita's recent collision with reality that she contributed to the lie left her unsure. "Let's just say, Carmelita is threatened by my bond with Sly." The two round the turn to Bison's hideout. It all boiled down to that staff fitting and opening the door.

"And you're threatened by her." Slytunkhamen added rigidly.

"I beg your pardon! Carmelita is not a threat to me."

"It has not gone unnoticed by me that you flaunt skills she does not possess. Skills you and Sly undoubtedly refined together."

"That means nothing."

"It means everything." Slytunkhamen wheeled around, stopping Alauna with a hand to her shoulder. She scrunched her nose. "Deep inside, though you've yet to acknowledge it, it pleases you to remind Carmelita of your bond with Sly. To prove your relationship superior."

Alauna squeezed his wrist. Slytunkhamen remained impassive to the taught grip removing his hand. "There is nothing for me to prove." She droned. A malevolent growl vibrated her throat. "Sly chose Carmelita, and they love each other." Slytunkhamen wondered if Alauna heard the same quiver. "There's no reason to prove myself." She stomped past him. She viciously stabbed the staff in place.

Slytunkhamen's nerves jolted. _Yet you try so hard._ He got in front of the staff. He pushed and Alauna heaved. The thick slab scathed the floor. The frozen hinges ground shrilly. The insulated steel on the inside made the weight unbearable. Slytunkhamen ran inside first. Alauna cut the staff at the inserted end, then spun inside after Slytunkhamen. The two made sure the fully closed behind them. The lock outside was jammed. Alauna insured their security by melting the lock.

"Oh my..." Slytunkhamen gawked in amazement of the luxurious hideout. The fire place was newly ablaze, and drips of water slid down a glass of brownish gold liquid. The commotion outside clearly interrupted him. A huntsman of the future's dream. Mounted and stuffed animal trophies to announce his might. Beverages he was sure were stronger than a god's ambrosia. Comforts of a lord with the added security of a man with self preservation as his drive. The sharp instruments decorating his walls definitely chilled Slytunkhamen core. "This Bison's decor is as fierce and unsettling as himself."

"Agreed." Alauna was disturbed by his aesthetics as well. Bison is a frightening man. "Hm? What's this?" There was a role of blue paper on a table. Alauna slid it open. It was a blueprint. An X-ray of a raccoon's brain, with an arrow to a specific part. Next to it was an insect. "I don't believe it."

"What is it?" Slytunkhamen peered over her shoulder.

"Is this the bug you spoke of?" Alauna showed him the blueprint. Slytunkhamen studied the picture for a moment, then turned pale as a sheet. His breath hitched in his throat. Alauna took that as a terrified yes. "Bentley will want to see this." Alauna rolled it up and put it away.

Slytunkhamen ran fingers along the scars that will follow him for life. Savage anger boiled his blood. ' _The Cooper Quirk,_ ' Bison called it. He, that wretched spider woman, and the mouse named Penelope put a bug to his skull, and now the skill he developed is no longer available to him! What they've done - whatever they plan to do - Slytunkhamen would make them pay for the torture they forced him to endure. He had unknowingly picked up a crystal woodchuck figure and crushed it with his bare hand.

"Whoa! Easy!" Alauna shook the shards off his palm. Thankfully he wasn't scratched.

"Forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive." She cupped his cheek. "These plans are upsetting for you. But see them as a light at the end of the tunnel."

"How are these plans possibly a positive thing?"

"They confirm Bison, Contessa, and Penelope are after something specific. All Bentley needs to do is decipher them." Slytunkhamen supposed that was good news in a way. It definitely seemed to clear the air a bit. And it gained them new insight on their enemy. "Now then," Alauna handed him a bomb, "How about we get started on making you feel better?"

Slytunkhamen arched a dubious brow at the cherry shaped bombs. "How are placing these tiny charges going to make me feel better?" He dangled one irritably. Alauna's lips stretched into a devious smile.

 **xxx**

"SHRIMP COCKTAIL!"

"GAH!" Murray tossed his pie in the air.

"DAY! TIME!" Bentley twisted frantically in his sleeping bag. The pie splattered on Bentley's head. "WHAT TIME IS IT?!" He screamed with raspberry pie muddying his glasses.

"Eight in the morning!" Murray lifted the pan off. He ruffled a towel on Bentley. A clean shine pinged off his clean head.

"The operation! What-?" Bentley was too tired to think straight. Everything was spinning.

Murray fanned him off, getting him to calm down a bit before he hurts himself. "Sly and the others are already on it." He reassured the exhausted turtle. "I'm working on the van, Sly and Bob are going underground - everything's moving along smoothly." Murray swayed his hands in a cool manner.

"NO!" Bentley grasped his collar. "Everything is not SMOOTH!" He spat. Murray really didn't want to hear that. He was in a good mood. "Oh I knew I should have warned them first before they rushed off." He was too tired to think straight. Sleepless nights of planning and scheming will do that to a turtle. "I was so excited about finishing the plan that I forgot something so important our lives could depend on it!"

"Please don't tell me the Time Machine broke again." Murray whined. The stupid thing was just fixed a couple nights ago.

"Worse!"

 **xxx**

Sly and Bob slid cautiously with their backs pressed firmly to the scorching wall. The ceiling was thumping and pounding incessantly. Things were getting heated topside. No doubt Carmelita's giving Bison a real hard time. That's Carmelita. Always able to make the earth move. On and off the honeymoon. _Not a bad idea._

"/Hey! Stay focused!/" Bob scolded. The mission was barely underway and he was daydreaming. Bob twisted Sly's head to the overwhelming number of guards, and the dangerous lady in latex standing in their way. "/We need to bring this monstrosity down or the plan is a bust!/"

"Of course! Right!" Sly knocked on his air filled head. Game time. Game face.

The tunnel Bentley identified was on the other side of the cavern. That was to be their escape root. By the breeze replacing the stifling heat, Sly assured himself it wasn't too far a stretch of an escape. As for the cavern. That was going to be the tricky part. The furnace, the lift, along with the rest of Bison's outlandish mining operation has got to go. Taking out the guards will be a sinch. Enigma? She'll prove to be an issue. Handling her and the guards while taking out the mine will take a bit of doing. Out numbered, fighting impossible odds - perfect.

"Work faster, you fools!" Enigma bellowed. She cracked her whip, tearing a gash in a mammoth's back. "The longer you waste time twiddling your thumbs, the longer I have to bear this heat!"

"Alauna? Are the charges set on the front entrance?"

 _"Finished 15 minutes ago. Why?"_

Sly plugged his ears. Bob, perplexed, plugged his ears as well. "Fire in the hole!"

"I SAID..." Enigma drew the whip back, "WORK...FASTER!" Her whip grazed the solid rock. _KABOOM!_ A sound of thunder quaked the cavern ceiling, jostling a shower of pebbles onto the sweaty, working heads below. "What in blazes?!" Enigma shouted.

The rumbling above hadn't stopped. It gradually became more fierce, spanned from the for front of the ceiling to the opposite side. Louder and louder the thunderous booming grew. The guards and Enigma rooted petrified in their places. Whatever was happening, it was getting closer. The cavern trembled in it's wake. Larger rocks fell from the the walls and ceiling. The beams splintered and cracked under an encroaching weight. Crack snaked a strip of wall. The only other tunnel in the whole cavern weakened. Metal and rock came crashing out of the tunnel, flooding the mine. The wall crumbled on it, blocking the tunnel in rubble.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Enigma roared outraged.

"Us shutting down this operation!" Enigma turned. Sly's cane connected with her cheek, sending her flying to a splash in mined rocks. Enigma drifted unconscious, lying limply in the ores.

The guards stood dumbstruck. Bob crushed two mammoth guards by the trunks and smashed their heads together. Dodos and Sabers shed their tools and uniforms, growling rapidly as they approached. Bob bore his fangs, snarling venomously. Saliva dripped down his fangs. He sharpened his claws on the rock. Sly jumped off Bob's back, cracking his cane on a Dodo's head. He twirled the staff and jabbed the end in a Saber's rib. Bob sped around him, swatting Dodos like flies. Sabers in the rafter jumped down, piling Bob to the ground. Bob fortified his stance and bucked them off. He lifted his fists and smashed the guards heads in. Sly swung his staff side to side with all his might. The last couple of Dodos and Sabers were dispatched.

Sly and Bob caught their breath, admiring their swift handiwork. For guards forced to prove themselves in one sided matches, they were absolute pushovers. No wonder Murray and Bob had such a smooth ride winning those fights. "/So how do we bring this place down?/"

"The furnace." Sly pointed his cane. "Without it, Bison has nothing to properly prep his ores."

"/On it!/" Bob grappled to the wall, climbing to the tubings feeding the rage inferno machine. The heat suffocated him momentarily. He hadn't been near heat like this since Grizz. _Good times._ Bob spat on his palms, rubbing them together. He put his feet on both sides of the tubing. He dug them in and PULLED. The shaft and insulated tubes snapped off the wall and ripped from the hole feeding it in. The furnace died in a whir. The fires snuffed without gasoline and air to feed it. Sly walked to the panel on the side and smashed it to pieces. Bob leapt to the ground, panting like a happy dog. "/How's that?/"

"Perfect!" Sly signaled OK with his fingers. "Carmelita and Spot should have Bison in place by now."

Sly motioned a hand, heading for the freedom tunnel. "Let's go meet up with them." Bob nodded happily, trailed after him.

Unbeknownst to the pair, Enigma was no longer on her pile of rocks. Wriggling in her fingers was mechanical insect. Dozens of needle like feet scrambling to touch a surface. She let her whip drizzle to the floor. She drew it back, letting it spin in a wheel, then cast it like a reel. It wrapped to Bob's ankle. She yanked his foot from under him. He fell into a staggering faceplant. "BOB!" Sly screamed.

"MINE!" Enigma sprang on his back. Sly gaped in horror of the insect in her hands. It's looks like the one Slytunkhamen described. She slapped it on Bob's head. The millipede lined with the curvature of his skull. The millions of prongs broke skin. Bob wailed in agony. The millipede hummed loudly, glowing a rippling orange. Enigma's green eyes sparkled in adulation. But, as the glow died after a couple breaths, so did her excitement. "What trickery is this?" She hissed. She roughly ripped the millipede free, taking hair and flesh with it. She analyzed the mechanized bug, scoffing disdainfully of the shawdy work. "Either he's losing his touch," Enigma nudged the waning Bob with a disgusted foot, "Or there's nothing special about this one."

"Oh I wouldn't say that." _Click._ A hard object touched Enigma's back. Enigma spat through her mask, slowly raising her hands. Alauna emerged behind her, grinning bloodthirstily. "The Cooper's are a special breed. Like this little bugger." Alauna plucked the millipede from her. "What a disgusting creature."

"Nice timing." Sly saluted with a wink.

"We would have been here sooner," Slytunkhamen gestured to the lift they took from Bison's hideout, "But that lift is remarkably slow."

"The important thing is you're here." Sly helped Bob to his feet. "Let's get moving." He helped Bob run for the tunnel this time. Alauna held their escape, keeping Enigma in her sights as she backed for the exit.

 **xxx**

Carmelita was sent bouncing into a small mound. Dirt and snow spilled onto her. Fur was torn, her skin grazed like tattered cloth. Her skull supported so many bumps she was seeing double. Spot and Bison circled one another in a dead dance. Bison cracked his curling fingers. He squeezed and loosened his grip on his staff. Were it he kept the talons on his staff, Bison would have ended the feline long ago. A shame they were in dire need of a sharpen and polishing.

"You two are more trouble than a boat load of beavers!" Bison snarled. Spot roared in response, digging at the ground. "Keep on comin', boy!" Bison dared him. "I'll enjoy hangin' you on my wall!"

"You'll be rotting in jail before you get a chance!" Carmelita landed three perfect shots. Powerful volts dropped Bison like a brick. Spot ran over and lifted Bison over his head. With a heave ho he threw Bison down a hill.

Bison rolled like a rug, launching off uneven ground. He jerked his elbows, legs, and hands to slow himself. His fingers hooked a sudden drop, clinging to the ledge. He swung too hard and fell into a withered assortment of sticks and shrubbery. Bison shook his head, stopping the world from spinning and bringing it back into focus. Circling, blurred objects gradually came into focus. To Bison's surprise, he spotted similar assortment scattered through an open valley.

"How do ya like that?" He marveled. "The old dino stompin' grounds." Pebbles sprinkled on top of him. Spot and Carmelita road the loose gravel to him. Gun and Claws drawn, they descended for blood. "Well bring it on!"

 **xxx**

The van was nearly done. Murray just needed to fill the radiator and it'll be running like new. Only to be run dead when he and the rest of the Cooper Gang make the jump out of there. Bentley vehemently tried to contact anyone of his friends to warn them of the hitch in their escape plan. The chaos near the valley was heard by them miles out there in the woods. Bentley feared the worst as to why they weren't answering. He hoped and prayed it was interference with the raging fights.

"Alauna, Sly, Bob - ANYONE!" Bentley pleaded. "Someone, please answer me! Please!" He slammed a fist on a log, his finger pressed to his ear. He just needed one. One of them to answer.

" _What's up, Brain?_ " Alauna's voice was a symphony of wind chimes.

"ALAUNA! THANK GOODNESS!" He cheered. "Are you and the guys alright?"

" _All things considering. How's the van coming?_ "

"Murray almost has it up and running." Murray was pouring his ten bucket of water into the radiator. "But there's a problem that might make his work worth nothing."

" _The day's already crappy. How can it POSSIBLY get any worse?_ "

"There's a problem with the van and time machine's calibrations." Bentley went over his calculations on his wheel chair computer. It was impossible for him to make heads or tails of the mishap. "Normally I can keep the two on a separate power source. But the time machine is feeding directly off the van."

 **xxx**

"Meaning what?" Alauna tried to hide her displeasure from Enigma. She pleaded that Bentley wasn't saying what she was thinking.

" _Too many jumps through time, or too far a jump will kill the van._ " Alauna's shocked expression made Enigma smirk. The day just keeps getting worse. " _And I don't have the first clue how we'll power it up again?_ "

"We are 65 million years in the past! The most technologically advanced tool is a torch!" Alauna roared, fangs protruding past her lip. "Power up the van? We'll be lucky if the Big Bang doesn't reduce us to charred rocks!" Alauna hated yelling at him. She didn't mean to lose patience. All she wanted was to help bring Sly home. Now it looks like they'll all be stuck in the past. At the very least, she's taking Enigma and Bison's op with her. "I'll call you back." She hung up.

"How can you stomach working alongside such weak, idiotic fools?" Enigma snarled.

"They are an acquired taste." Alauna gladly admitted. She licked her lips hungrily. She dug behind her back. "I don't expect you to understand." She tossed a grenade toward the furnace. Enigma's fearful eyes locked to it. Alauna moved the revolver and fired. Enigma dove on instinct. The grenade exploded, blowing the furnace, and unleashing a devastating inferno in the cavern.

Slytunkhamen, Bob, and Sly came to a ledge. A steep slope dropped to the nest grounds that would be their salvation. The discarded ores lied at the base. It was tempting to climb down to safety. "TALLY-HO!" Alauna barreled into them, shoving them to a bumpy ride to an unpleasant and damaging landing. The free fall put their stomachs in their mouths. Alauna would kick herself later. A bounce off a rock, a tumble and skip, all the way to backs and stomachs connecting with piles of rocks. They groaned defeatedly. It hurt to breathe.

"Why...did you...push us?" Sly wheezed, crawling over Bob. He was too delirious to scowl.

"Give it a few seconds." Alauna woozily lifted a finger. Slytunkhamen and Bob followed the finger. Flickers of flames teased the tunnels edges. An explosion of fire roared, as if a dragon was disturbed. "Pure beauty that-oh no." The victory was gone. Enigma leapt from the tunnel at the last second, carrying with her burned markings and charred rock. She flipped to a perfect landing in front of the groggy group. Her durable suit was wafting with smoke. Certain areas more burnt than the other. "That's not possible."

"I'm afraid it is, Leopard!" Enigma spat. "You'll find I'm difficult to kill too." She cackled maliciously.

"Apparently you ain't the only ones!" Bison bellowed. Enigma twisted, raising a bother brow. Carmelita and Spot were thrown at her feet. Discolored bruises tarnished their bodies. Their consciousness was fading in and out. Sly, Alauna, Bob, and Slytunkhamen gaped in horror. "These two are tougher than mule meat to tenderize." Bison moseyed toward them, cracking his neck side to side. "Didn't take long to put them in their place." He nudged Carmelita with a foot. Sly grit his teeth. Alauna saw his growing rage. She grasped her staff.

"It would appear the Cooper Gang is losing their touch." Enigma mocked.

Alauna jabbed her staff in Enigma's neck. "Not yet we haven't!" She swept Enigma's feet out from under her, pinning her to the ground with a foot. "SLY!" Sly lunged forward, connecting a powerful punch to Bison's face. Bison staggered, struggling to stay standing. Sly smacked him relentlessly with his cane, edging Bison farther and farther from his wounded friends.

"ENOUGH!" Bison caught the next swing, and plunged his fist between Sly's ribs. Sly coughed up blood. His vision blurred. As he dropped to his knees, Bob surprised Bison by ramming his head in his stomach, sending him flying several feet away.

"Thanks, Bob." Sly choked, rubbing his stomach.

"/No problem./"

"So that's how it's gonna be, is it?" Bison planted his staff, building strength to his knocking knees. Bob and Sly braced themselves for his next attack. "Two youngins against an old man? Very well." Bison touched fingers to his lips. A shrill whistle echoed throughout the valley. Alauna and Slytunkhamen went rigid. They already knew that wasn't good.

Carmelita and Spot awoke to the sound. They wished they'd stayed unconscious. Two dozen or so guards appeared on the ledge above the empty valley. Mammoth's flexing muscles hungering to punish the wounded Cooper Gang. Saber's licked their teeth, wanting nothing more than to rip them apart. The Dodos remained indifferent. They were there for the chaos. Enigma, inspired by the one sided odds, wrapped her legs to Alauna. She twisted half her body. Alauna met the ground with a loud THUD. Enigma then sprang off her hands and feet to Bison's side, sniggering triumphantly. Slytunkhamen drew his sickle canes, staggering under the forces weighing against them. Spot snarled dangerously, daring any one of those guards to come at them. Alauna picked herself up. Her only interest was in the she devil beside Bison. Carmelita shared her hatred.

"If you all surrender now…" Enigma played with a tearing cloth on her cheek, "Jean here may be tempted to show clemency." Bison showed his teeth in a demonic smirk. "He won't have our guards beat you to death. We'll just kill you instantly."

"As tempting as that sounds," Sly armed his cane, "TAKE IT AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS!" Alauna and Carmelita were dumbstruck. Sly must have been pissed. He never curses. "We'll never stop until you and everyone else that works with you is done and gone!"

"Here! Here!" Alauna backed him. Carmelita and the other held their heads high, ready to die on their feet to keep the past safe. "To help expedite matters," Alauna tossed Slytunkhamen a remote, "Time for you stress reliever!"

"Gladly!" Slytunkhamen pressed the button. The charges in Bison's hideout balred crazily. They burst in a fiery explosion. Vengeance Slytunkhamen hungered to exact consuming Bison's prideful trophies in a blaze containing no glory. The explosion reverberated the mountain. The sound sent chills down Bison's spine. "That would be your home going up in smoke." Slytunkhamen crooned. Bison grit his teeth scathingly. "Consider it divine retribution for your crimes!"

"That's yer choice!" Bison bellowed, riling his men. "NOW DIE BY IT! CHARGE!"

The guards road the sloping hill into the basin. Spot and Slytunkhamen already rushed to meet the hoard, splitting off and tripping half on entry. Carmelita and Alauna rushed Enigma, dragging her a few feet from Bison before she wiggled herself free. Leaving Bob and Sly to deal with Bison himself.

 **xxx**

"DONE!" Murray slammed the hood shut.

"Done!" Bentley synced his chair's computer to the time machine. It matched up and allowed him access. As he feared, the time machine will undoubtedly drain the van when they make too great a jump. To make matters worse, they were running out of items to put in the receptacle. "Let's hurry to the nesting grounds! They should be there by now!"

"Consider us there, Chum!" Murray was in the driver's seat, and the keys were in the ignition. He had to turn them a few times before the van started. "Alright! Let's get the heck out of the frozen dodge!"

 **xxx**

The guards. They just kept coming by the handful. Slytunkhamen relied on his acrobatics to flip his way to victory. He guided punches to the faces or stomachs of another, letting the guards injury themselves in the blind fighting. He'd roll between their legs, rob the ground from beneath them. Launch projectiles were swatted by his canes, deflected into rocks or other guards. By all appearances he was fine. Until stitching pains hindered his movements. Wounds that had yet to fully heal were reopening one at a time. The onslaught of guards overwhelmed him. Spot rushed in the help compensate for his injuries. He blindly struck, granting Slytunkhamen brief windows of a respite. A mammoth took advantage of his distracted fighting and bucked him with his tusks. Spot grabbed the tusks and threw the guard out of the grounds. Sabers jumped him, attempting to weigh him down. Spot tossed them like rag dolls, only to be tackled by dodos. For every one that is killed, ten more arrive to take their place. Spot was finally thrown aside like trash, disoriented by his collision with a rotted stump.

Enigma and Bison, winded and wounded, would become the inevitable victors. Claiming Sly and his friend's heads as their trophies. Or worse. Alauna struck for Enigma with her staff while Carmelita aided her with cover fire. Enigma feasibly danced around them, laughing giddily as the pair failed to land a solid hit. Alauna matched Enigma with speed and agility. He wild swing left her open to harsh strikes. Carmelita hit the ground at Enigma's feet, or narrowly missed by a hair's length. The more they missed, the greater entertainment they provided. Anger guided Carmelita and Alauna, adversely affecting their ability to aim properly. Alauna's almost hit Carmelita and vice versa. In their desperation to end the madness, they abandoned their training and charged. Enigma blocked and dodged their attacks, treating them like the chumps they fought like. Sly and Bob weren't faring any better. Sure they landed a few hits here and there. Bison would bounce back more fierce, dealing blows ten times what he received. He had Bob and Sly by the heads at one point and crushing their foreheads together. Sly sprang into a counter. Bison hooked him by the staff head, flipping him over, and slamming him to the ground. Bob trapped Bison in a crushing embrace. Bison pooled his weight to his lower body, flipping Bob over and onto Sly.

Spot gazed helplessly at the increasing odds against them. His friends being beaten to within an inch of their lives. Each time they got up to keep fighting they were battered right back to the ground. There was hardly any fight left in them to be spent. Bob's punches missed by a mile. Carmelita's kicks tripped her legs out from under her. Sly's tired fingers lost his cane when he swung. Alauna's aim was too far off. Slytunkhamen's wounds reopened. Spot's heart sank miserably. Unless a miracle happened, everyone - his kin - were going to die.

The rampaging battle made the very ground quake in the awesome rage. Pebbles at Spot's feet clattered. The rumbling was oddly familiar. Reminded him of the rumbling at the...mountain. A sensation lifted Spot's spirits. An epiphany. As if a torch was lit inside of him. Spot scrolled his widening eyes up the mountain. Loose snow trickled in steady beats. By its pinkies was the snow clinging to the mountain. The smallest shake would bring the hole mountain crumbling. _The whole mountain._

Spot beamed elatedly. He threw up a victorious fist, accidentally punching a mammoth in the jaw. He trampled him diving into the wrestling fray. Bob was knocked off his feet. His back skipped on the coarse rock. Spot stopped him by the shoulders. He whispered swiftly in the raccoon's ear, then darted like a bat out of Hell.

"/WAIT! HOW WILL WE KNOW?/" Bob shouted. Spot was already climbing the ledge, and out of sight. Bob threw his hands up and slapped his sides.

Slytankhamen back flipped to Bob's side. "Where is Spot off to?"

"/He said to be ready to run./" He shrugged confusedly.

"How will we know to do that?"

"/Good question./"

Sly was on his own against Bison. He panted what little breath was left in his burning lungs. The muscles in his legs and arms throbbed, ready to give any second. Those very same limbs took the grandiose amount of punishment, fending Bison's monstrous attacks. The bones felt ready to break like twigs with the next strike. Bison, with a freshly inhaled fifth wind, charged full power with his horns aimed for Sly's ribs. Sly, too tired to dodge, cowered behind his arm and cane. Bob ran on all fours, snatching Sly to safety. Bison, unable to stop, got his horns stuck in a rock. Bob whispered Spot's _plan_ in his ear, earning the same confused expression.

Carmelita and Alauna - gun and swords drawn, circled the cackling Enigma. That menacing laughter trying their wavering patience. Bumps and bruises hurting like pins and needles added to the frustration. Carmelita sent two shot bolts. Enigma crouched and dodged both. Meanwhile, Alauna charged, cutting the bolts in half and thrust her sword for Enigma's back. Enigma spun on her toes. Alauna missed, passing on the side. Enigma hooked Alauna's hair. She yanked hard, smacking her on a rock. Carmelita cartwheeled and kicked Enigma in the nose. Alauna leaned on a hand, rubbing the swelling lump on her skull. Carmelita offered to help. Alauna waved a hand, declining the offer. Slytunkhamen arrived, kneeling to the woman. He whispered the nonsense plan, receiving the same expressions.

"How are we gonna know when to run?" Carmelita asked heatedly.

"Spot assures us we'll know."

"Oh I hope Bentley and Murray hurry up." Alauna groaned, massaging her sore head.

 **xxx**

Four rapid sets of claws viciously tore grass by its roots, blemishing snow drenched soil. Spot's tongue hung out his wide mouth. Saliva spilled as he ran top speed. The wind dried his throat. He only ran faster when he felt fatigue weighing him down. The steep incline of trees and thick brush parting in the wake of his stampede. The dim lighting cast many shadows of creatures frightened by his charge. Protruding mounds stubbed his paws, or tripped him occasionally. He picked himself up and tripled his speed. _Faster, faster, faster_ Spot encouraged himself. He needed to run faster. Alauna, his kin, was depending on him. Sly, Bob, and the others were counting on him. Should he fail, he will be alone again.

A light at the edge of the forest flooded the trees. Spot came to a sudden halt at a ledge. Gunga village was obscured by cascades of icy peaks and hills. The nesting grounds, and the battle ravaging the once fertile lands, was a mere leap away. And the mountain that bars the ground from the rest of the village, slipping snow losing its grip, was ripe for the picking. He cast one more woeful stare to the battle. Bob and Alauna both made him smile, and weep with sorrow. This may very well be the last time he sees them. His kin and friend may never rise to greet him in the prays that will not be the case. He...he loves them both. He can't lose them. And those monsters hurting them won't take them from him.

The run left Spot with half a leg to stand on. His lungs were on fire. Still, Spot slowed his breathing. In turn his heart slowed. A final wind filled him. Inhaling off and on, taking a deeper breath in on every exhale, Spot's chest puffed up. His stomach hugged his ribs. His hind paws fortified their ground. His claws pierced his palms, drawing blood. _Run!_ " _RRRROOOOAAAARRRR…"_

 **xxx**

Sly and Bison. Carmelita, Alauna, and Enigma. Bob, Slytunkhamen, Bob, and the onslaught of guards. All rooted in place. Frozen statues as a mighty, ferocious roar echoed across the valley. The roar traveled like lightning. It shook the ground, and the very pits of their souls. Terror and awe gripped the transfixed crowd.

"Was that…" Slytunkhamen trailed off.

"Spot?" Sly's voice cracked.

A pile of falling snow broke a saber guard from his trance. Snow was falling on his head, shoulders, and his feet. He shook it off, getting away from the ledge it fell from. He snarled at the snow. He kicked at it for it's insult. As the snow continued to spill, the saber bore his fangs to the hill. He gradually lost color the higher he looked. A guttural growling built within mountain of snow. A flash rapid of snow flooded everyone's stagnant feet. Sly, Bison - all were ensnared in abject fear, shuddering to look toward the mountain's crumbling peak. Snow ascending toward the very heavens folded into itself. Tumbling laps spanned into waves. Rocks, powder, and unrelenting ice roared for the empty basin.

"AVALANCHE!" Alauna screamed.

"RUN!" Enigma ran for her life.

The guards picked themselves up and were hot on her heels. Bison threw Sly aside, not needing to be told twice to run. Bob scooped Sly on his back, running on all fours to get him out of there. Slytunkhamen ignored his wounds and forced another breath to carry his feet like the wind. Carmelita and Alauna ran hand in hand. The crunching roar howling deafeningly loud ushered screams from the soon to be swallowed victims. Ice and powder only second from the base. The grounds a giant bowl for them all to be swallowed up in. The soul means of survival is scaling the sheer rock walls over a mile away.

"WE'RE NEVER GOING TO MAKE IT!" Slytunkhamen cried. His side split in sharp agony.

"We have to try!" Sly pulled Slytunkhamen onto Bob. The weight was too much for him to allow Carmelita or Alauna. "Come on! HURRY!" Carmelita and Alauna literally hit their legs and coughed up their lungs to prevent themselves from stopping. The avalanche was already flooding the basin. Boulder of condensed snow fluttered erratically. Powder covered the air in a haze. Snow clawed its way across the floor, like a demon hungering for its sacrifice. Bob may very well become one with the land. He was losing steam fast.

"BOB!" Alauna and Carmelita ran on either side, tugging him by clumps of fur. "DON'T STOP, BOB!" Carmelita snarled. "We're almost there!"

"What a shame, kiddies!" Bison taunted. Hope vacated the fleeing Cooper Gang. Bison and Enigma mocked them from a hovercraft carrying them well above the encroaching death. Enigma flew the craft just low enough that none of them can reach for safety. "As much as we would like to enjoy watching you become rat-cicles, we got work to return to!" He guffawed loudly. "ENJOY BEING TRAPPED IN ICE! Maybe you'll be lucky and global warming will thaw ya!" Bison and Enigma threw their heads back in victorious laughter. The craft was pulled aloft, flying to the clouds and beyond. With it, any hope of Sly and his friends surviving. This was it. They were going to-

 _BEEP-BEEP!_ That sound might as well be god's hymn. The van raced on the basin ledge. Murray and Bentley hanging out the windows, waving frantic hands. Sly and the others would have broke down in tears of joy. Unfortunately all their energy was converted to running. Murray roughly jerked the wheel, launching the van off and into the basin. The van landed a foot in front of them. Bentley pushed the doors open. "GET IN!" Bob tossed Sly and Slytunkhamen one at a time, then jumped on the top. He wrapped his tail to the clock on the roof, reaching out. Carmelita grabbed his hands and was pulled to the roof with him. Alauna stretched her hand. Bentley reached out with his. Alauna jumped the last gap. Bentley grabbed hold with both hands and pulled. The doors closed them in. It was hardly time to celebrate, relax, or count blessings. The avalanche was gaining, and the van had nowhere to go in 30 seconds.

"WE NEED TO MAKE A JUMP!" Carmelita screamed, pressed to her stomach by Bob lying on her.

"I can't find the slab, and the van will die if we jump too far!" Bentley cried.

"We'll be dead if we don't jump now!" Murray anxiously glanced between the road and side view mirror. If the avalanche doesn't kill them, the crash will.

"ALRIGHT!" Bentley knew the price, but he'll kick himself in death if his friends are hurt. He fired up the time machine. Electricity slithered the van's length. The speed increased by 20. "WE NEED SOMETHING IN THE RECEPTACLE!"

"HERE!" Carmelita reached inside and shoved an Arabian coin.

"That's-" Sly's comment was cut short. The receptacle registered the coin. The wall was upon them. The avalanche was over them. Bob anchored Carmelita. Alauna and Bentley hugged. Sly and Slytunkhamen put hands to their heads. Murray closed his eyes. There was a flash...and then darkness.

 **Ending may be lame, but I'm too tired and out of ideas!**

 **To be continued.**


	16. Another Arabian Night

**Another Arabian Night**

 **Okay. Moving on.**

 **I added more to this chapter, finding it to be unfinished. I hope you all like it.**

 **xxx**

Tropical flight feathers drummed incessantly. Pausing every other second, then rolling on the oakwood table. Silence strangled Bison, Enigma, and the profusely fuming Contessa. Shame hung the heads about to be lopped off for their string of miserable failures. The rhythm thumped harder as Arpeggio nibbled heatedly on the corner of his beak. The gleam of his monocle added terror to the razor knife glare shredding his pitiful cohorts to ribbons. Feathers ruffled up his neck. Penelope's agitated foot tapped rapidly. Her brow furrowed to her nose. Her tail whipped dangerously. It is impossible to put into words how infuriated the last few hours had made them.

"Bob Cooper…" Arpeggio grunted the repulsive name. Utterly lacked creativity for a Neanderthal. "Spot the Leopard…" He clenched a fist and slammed it. Bison, Enigma, and Contessa flinched. "Two primitive beings that are as useless as the lot of you are!" He growled. Bison inhaled to protest. "SILENCE!" Bison grimaced. "In the wake of the ONE Cooper we managed to siphon, the three of you have allowed that meddlesome Cooper Gang to outsmart you at every turn! Demolishing operations that absorbed my time and my wealth to animate them from paper!"

"They are only small operations!" Contessa hissed back. She refused to take a crippled bird's verbal abuse lying down. "Operations WE…" She circled a hand to her and Bison, "Have kept afloat are the smokescreen to the real endgame of this madness!"

"Spider Woman's got a point!" Bison mustered his courage. Contessa hated being called that. "Granted! Bob and Spot - wastes of energy." That he was willing to admit to. "On the other hand, Cooper and his rag-tag gang ain't none closer to figurin'' us out than they were when they jumped the time stream."

Arpeggio groaned annoyed, rubbing the bridge of his beak. "It would seem you all have been dealt more severe head wounds than I initially anticipated." Contessa, Enigma, and Bison shared bewildered glances. What was it Arpeggio thinks they've missed? Arpeggio waddled on the table. He paced side to side, letting his talons scrape the wood."The Cooper Gang relinquished the Klaww Gang of similar _Minor Operations_ before completely dismantling my Major Spice Operation!" They all but destroyed his blimp. The northern lights he worked tirelessly to collect returned to the heavens he stole them from. "The Fiendish Five before us suffered a similar humiliating defeat! All because SMALLER operations led them to the motherlode!"

"Then what do you propose we do about it?!" Enigma threw her hands in the air. "Were it SOMEONE captured Sly Cooper from the get go," Contessa hissed through gritted teeth, "We would not have to go through this mess!" Contessa wanted desperately to strangle that loud mouthed harpy by her scrawny neck.

"Precisely why I used my _early release_ to assemble you all!" Penelope screeched. "I chose all of you because you've proven superior to The Cooper Gang! Must have been a fluke!" She couldn't stand it! All of these pathetic excuses for their incompetence. She did not rot nonrefundable months of her life in prison, spending nights sleeping with one eye open, so that these failed morons of the Klaww Gang can ruin everything. And before it's barely gotten off the ground.

Killing Bob Cooper would have eliminated the Cooper Nuisance indefinitely. Too bad she needs the Cooper lineage alive in order get what she wants. Helping construct the Tri-Blimp was taxing enough. What she devised, and was perfect by Arpeggio - it was not going to be ruined because these fossils can't handle a raccoon and his circus friends.

"Where is the Cooper Gang now?" Arpeggio snarled.

"Last we saw, they was about to be buried in snow." Bison recalled. The avalanche came down hard on the Nesting Valley. Cooper and his friends ran as fast as they could. But, for are relative purposes, one can't outrun mother nature.

"Then I suggest we be prepared." Arpeggio announced. "That meddling Gang has escaped far worse."

"Agreed." Penelope checked her PDA. "In fact, I'm sure I can track them and see exactly where they've ended up." She ran a diagnostic on a trojan she inserted to track the Bentley's precious binocucoms. Enigma utilized it flawlessly to intercept the divided Cooper Gang. A failure. But proof Bentley is losing his touch. As the diagnostic finished, Penelope smirked while zeroing in on Bentley's Binocucom. She knit her brow disconcerted. "Huh? That's odd." She tried again. This time she looked for Sly. "Alright. Murray…"

"What's the matter?" Arpeggio impatiently questioned. He's not in the mood for more bad news.

Penelope shook her head perplexed. "I don't understand it." She scoured the system for Carmelita, Alauna, Bob. All of her searches came up empty. "I was able to pick these guys out of a line up over three hours ago!"

"And now…"

"Now…" Penelope was at a loss. Her tracers went completely blind. There's only one way this is possible. She growled rabidly, crushing her PDA to the brink of breaking. "That...damn...TURTLE!" She howled shrilly. "Bentley hacked my own tracer! He's blocked me from the binocucoms GPS locators!"

"In other words…" Enigma strutted tauntingly. A sinister smile shown under her mask, "Your success in Egypt was nothing more than a...fluke." She whispered mockingly in Penelope's ear. Enigma effortlessly caught a fist flying for her nose. Penelope dug her feet, pouring her menial strength to the captured fist. "Careful, Dearie, I'd hate to ruin your pretty face."

"Fail us one more time, and your face will be on my wall!"

"I tingle in anticipation."

 **xxx**

 **(Sly POV)**

 _The sun's blazing glares blinded hazy eyes. Sly shielded the unforgiving sun with his arm, wincing under the drums pounding his skull. He turned his head to one side. Bentley and Alauna started to come to, rubbing their sore parts. Bentley's chair was in close proximity this time around. One the other side, Carmelita and Murray managed to find a wall to lie against while on the mend. They were battered like tenderized hog hides. But at least they were alive. And that brought Sly relief_ _._

 _Once again, quick thinking and even faster reflexes saved our hides._ _Steadily the daylight became easier to bear_ _. Our second close call within days of each other. I just hope our third isn't the curtain call. __Sly leaned up slowly, cradling his sore head_ _. By the looks of things, __He interestedly scooped up a handful of sand,_ _The time machine landed us somewhere a bit warmer._ _Cold water washed to his feet._ _And it wasn't just anywhere_ _. Sly looked out and was taken aback in awe. Extravagant ships sailed a familiar crystal blue ocean front_ _. It was all starting to come back to me. __Sly turned half his aching body. A beautiful, ivory city out of a story book greeted him_ _. Carmelita tossed a denari in the time machine. We're back in ancient Arabia!  A smile broke across Sly's face. Though I can't wait to go home, it'll be nice to see Salim before trouble forces us into another fight. For now, I think the guys and I should relax. Take advantage of the quiet._

 _Sly threw himself back. The soft sand at his back carried him off to sleep. It felt heavenly._ _True to form, fate wasn't about to let us relax for too long._ _A finger poked Sly's nose. Sly was startled awake. Slytunkhamen was bent over him, waving innocently._ _Somehow, throughout this whole thing, I'd forgotten Slytunkhamen was our unwillingly traveling buddy. That's when I remembered something - or rather someone - very important._ _Panic widened Sly's eyes. He darted his eyes left and right._ _There's one more who escaped the avalanche with us, and I was already certain he hitched a ride with us too._ _Slytunkhamen pointed to the ocean. Sly sat up. His shoulders and jaw dropped like dumbells. Bentley, Murray, and Carmelita cast baffled stares at the gawking raccoon. They followed the stunned line of sight. Disbelieved screams broke their dry throats._ _Man, I hate when my instincts are right._

 _A ways into the ocean, Bob frantically waved his furry arms. Trapped on a spit of rock breaking the surface that stood between him and a watery grave. And if you think a swimming inept raccoon trapped out at sea is bad enough,  Bob adamantly dropped eyes to the fins circling him beneath the water. Sly and the others totally gobsmacked, You're not the one who has to rescue him before the sharks get him. Everyone collapsed in defeat. They're really getting sick of the universes shit._

 **xxx**

The sharks stalked in a neverending circle. Their tail fins splashed the water, causing Bob to jump and nearly fall in. One shark would attempt a bite and narrowly miss. The breeze of their rank breath turned Bob's nerves into jelly. Another shark, sensing Bob closer, tried to take his tail. Bob's been lucky so far. But the sharks were getting closer by the minute. Bob's distraught gibberish begged the wounded Cooper Gang on land to hurry and save him. His knees kept giving out under him. At this point, Bob would rather drown than be eaten by these strange beasts with dinosaur teeth. He really wasn't in the mood to bet they ate like dinosaurs too.

"How the heck did he end up all the way out there?!" Carmelita exclaimed. First she and the Cooper Gang are split up. And now Bob's stuck in the middle of the ocean. That time vortex was toying with them now.

"Who cares about that?!" Alauna used Bentley's chair to get on her feet. "How are we supposed to get him on land?"

"The raft in the van!" Murray blurted. It saved Alauna when she jumped from the window back in Egypt. "We can row over there and get him!" Hopefully sharks don't have a taste for rubber boats. Murray rolled onto his stubby legs, crawling to his feet. He stopped noticing the van was nowhere to be seen. He scanned the immediate area. He deflated like a sad balloon. The van was gone. Again. "OH NO! Where is it this time?!" Murray stretched his mask in frustration.

Virtually, the van - like Bob - could have landed anywhere. Bentley spotted a group of people clamoring on the ship nearest the land. He used his binocucom to get a closer look. "Over there!" Bentley whimpered despaired.

The old Cooper Gang luck was holding firm. Everyone put on their binocucoms. The van was stranded on a ship. Bombarded by overly curious crew and passengers. Typical modern technology a marvel in these ancient times. And that marvel was well out of everyone's reach. It's always like this. In exchange for their lives being spared, their transportation, weapons, friends, and or whatever else is brought with them is scattered across the world.

"MY POOR VAN!" Murray dropped to his knees. Hysterical tears watered two crabs.

"SNAP OUT OF IT!" Carmelita punched his shoulder. "First we save Bob, then we get your van back!" Murray snorted snot back to his snout. Bob was more important. The Van wasn't going anywhere. Unless those morons on the boat break something, or toss it overboard.

"How are we getting him over here?" Sly searched the area. "We don't exactly have life preservers."

"But we can make one!" Bentley proposed animatedly. Trees, baskets, frayed workings of rope. It's all coming together. "Sly, Alauna, Carmelita - get those banana leaves!" The three shrugged and started climbing. They yanked the leaves at the root. Murray - find all the baskets you can and bring them over here!" Without hesitation Murray was already hauling three baskets at a time. "Slytunkhamen…" He showed Slytunkhamen the frayed bindings, "Help me make rope."

Bob tried to put the pack of sharks far from his thoughts by watching his friends scramble to put an odd contraption together. Murray dumped perfectly good fruit on the ground. Sly, Carmelita, and Alauna left tree tops practically naked. Bentley and Slytunkhamen five long vines together. Six. The baskets had been placed head to head. Some of the leaves were used to bind them closed. The rest were cryptically wrapped to the bodies. By the vines they were fastened together. It reminded Bob of those floating ice slabs, only not so icy. One last vine, three times longer than the others, was woven to one end. When it was pushed into the water, it amazed Bob that it was floating.

"GET GOING!" Bentley threw Sly and Carmelita primitively constructed oars. Murray, Slytunkhamen, and Alauna held the rope. Sly and Carmelita jumped to the raft, paddling as fast as they could. It was tricky to know if the raft will hold.

Bob was in tears when they reached him. He was starting to get tired from dodging the shark's teeth. "Come on, Bob! Easy now!" Sly lent him a hand. Bob barreled past, throwing himself on board. The abruptly added weight quaked the raft. The leaves and ropes loosened.

"PULL!" Carmelita roared. Slytunkhamen, Alauna, and Murray dug in the sand and pulled. The raft gradually came undone the closer land became. Desperately mustered newfound strength, driving the trio's zealous hands and arms. The soggy rope blistered their palms. Sly, Carmelita, and Bob were losing raft fast. And the sharks followed them toward the shore. They took their chances and jumped, stumbling to the sweet, secure sand on the landing. The shark gave up the chase, and the raft was left to fall apart on its whim.

Bob, finding himself free to do so, screamed at the top of his lungs. Sly and the others clamped their ears closed. "/WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?! WHERE AM I?! WHAT IS THIS PLACE?!/" Bob darted crazily, ravaging the sands and rebounding violently off walls and trees. "/SPOT?! WHAT ARE THOSE MONSTER?! WHAT ARE THOSE THING FLOATING?! HOW DID THAT THING FLOAT?!/" Bob spouted dozens of questions at a time. Most of it was barely coherent. Cracks popped in the tree trunks. The walls rumbled. Pots and baskets were mercilessly trampled.

"WE NEED TO CALM HIM DOWN!" Slytunkhamen implored. He looked around for any unwelcomed guests who undoubtedly can hear Bob's screaming. Past experiences shook Slytunkhamen's faith in the understanding of men. "It will not bode well for us if we are discovered in this sorry state!"

"Our old hideout is right there!" Bentley led the way. "Get Bob inside! Once we calm him down, maybe we can come up with a game plan."

Bob was fresh out of energy to continue running like a chicken without a head. He chased his tail in nesting circles, wearing a pit in the sand. Murray, Carmelita, and Alauna led him by the back, and arms. Bob's chewed his talons. The passing structures pooped his wide eyes from the sockets. His dragging feet made it difficult to mosey him in. Alauna and Carmelita lowered him to a nest of plush pillows. He hugged his tail and began sucking on his thumb.

"Somehow he handled the last jump better than this." Bentley remarked.

"Travel time's path is rather frightening, Bentley." Slytunkhamen retorted crossly. He was offended by Bentley's comment. "Especially when whisked thousands of millennia from your simpler era, and thrust into unknown lands of new dangers." Bentley grimaced at the scolding. Slytunkhamen was clearly speaking for both him and Bob.

"Sorry, Slytunkhamen. I didn't mean-" Slytunkhamen silenced him by raising a hand. He was forgiven. Although it was hinted he should be careful with his words next time. Bentley nervously grunted. "Okay, our first order of business has got to be resting our wounds from our fight with Bison."

"I will drink an entire tavern to that." Alauna free fell to the wall. Aged rice sacks were luscious clouds at her sore lower back.

"But what about the van?!" Murray hoarsely pleaded. "I can't leave her on a boat with those…those..." There are many names he could give them. He held his tongue so not to offend anyone.

"Even if we reach the van, it won't go anywhere." Bentley announced shamefully. "The time machine drained the battery dead. I wouldn't be shocked if it's completely obliterated."

"Can we not deliver your wheeled chariot to a shop of sorts?" Slytunkhamen suggested.

"The shops we need won't be built for another few thousand years." Sly stated in dread. "And we don't have that kind of time."

"There's gotta be something we can do." Carmelita proclaimed, trying hard to keep everyone positive. "You guys have done the impossible before."

"Improbable." Alauna corrected her. The impossible is just that. Impossible. Improbable has a small window of possible. "Miracles are out of our repartee."

"Besides…" Bentley slouched in his wheelchair, yawning exhaustedly, "I'm not fully awake yet."

Murray yawned as well, twisting his arms behind his head. "Neither am I…" He rested his arms and head on the table.

"I think rest will benefit us all." Slytunkhamen touched Sly's shoulder, earning an agreeing nod. Bob beat everyone to it. He scared himself to sleep. Alauna situated the bags, cuddling in a ball. Carmelita lied on a stunted ledge, heading resting to a pillow. Slytunkhamen and Sly lied on the floor, falling fast asleep.

Trouble lurking in the shadows can wait until morning. For now, the Cooper Gang will sleep and be rested for the coming trials.

 **xxx**

Penelope direly coveted fresh air. The stench of failure and arrogance made her eyes water. The feel of the wind brushing her skin assuaged the stress tightening her shoulders. Her hair wafting, gliding like a kite in flight. Her troubles diminished on the streams gently passing around her. What a glorious morning amongst the tumultuous nights she's suffered. All because of Bentley annoying way of planning three moves ahead.

"How did I not see it coming?!" She cursed herself. She knew Bentley better than anyone. Anytime he is hacked, he always finds a way scrub the hacker entirely from his systems. Put up walls to prevent them from getting back in. The same is said for tracers. He probably figured out there was a trace on the binocucoms and set up the block. "A scrambler to hide the binocucoms!" She seethed. Bentley worked on that for months. A way to protect communications from being monitored.

"To think I found that big brain of his cute once upon a time." She gagged. To this day it baffled her to no end what she ever say in that crippled midget. What in her right mind lured her eyes from Sly to him? "PFFT! I should have let Lefwee turn him into turtle...soup…" She cupped her hands to her prickling heart.

Lefwee - Self proclaimed smartest pirate of the seven seas. Murder, kidnapper, and plunderer of the innocent, and his enemies. Often, when her mind is adrift, the tip of Lefwee's sword teased her back. He actually left a scar where he held her. To think, had Bentley and the others not arrived quick enough...she would be…

"Ah the merciless pangs and arrows of love."

"ARPEGGIO!" Penelope gasped, turning bright red. Her hands leaned to the balconies stone wall.

Arpeggio stepped his perch to the balcony edge, trapping Penelope between him and a hard place. "No call for embarrassment, my Dear." He cupped her chin. The soft feel of his feathers tickled her. "In my own weaker moments I too reminisce of my past lovers."

"But...but I'm not-"

"It is merely a matter of restraining that love to the past." He curled his feathers. Penelope winced. "Understand." He forewarned eerily.

"Y-Yes, Arpeggio! Perfectly!" She squeaked.

"Very good." He pecked her on the cheek. "Go see to our friends in Arabia. They are having a hard time locating Salim Al-Kupar."

"You mean he wasn't at that tavern he frequents?" She exclaimed.

"Apparently the aged fool is smarter than we anticipated." He breathed on his monocle, dusting in on his vest. "He and the rest of his theif brothers have gone into hiding." He re-placed the monocle, smiling sinisterly. "We shall have to weed the rats out of hiding."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Penelope voiced her doubts. "Salim is the leader of the 40 thieves, and one of Sly's most elusive of ancestors."

"And like all Coopers, empathy is their weakness."

 **xxx**

Midday drifted to the brilliant midnight. The calmed ocean glistening beneath the radiant moon and stars. All was quiet in arabia. Not a mouse stirred- _KABOOM!_ The entire hideout shook. Sly, Bob, and the others shot up, screaming themselves awake. Carmelita and Alauna had their guns drawn. Murray, Bob, and Slytunkhamen panted fretfully.

"What the heck was that?!" Bentley shrieked.

"I think that was an explosion!" Sly rolled to his feet.

"Is it a holiday?" Slytunkhamen proposed.

"/What's a holiday?/" Bob tilted his head.

 _BOOM! BOOM!_ The world bombarded again. Bentley and Murray came close to diving under the table. These weren't holiday explosions. Something was happening. _"AAAHHHH..."_ Bloodcurdling screams echoed outside. The Cooper Gang ran outside, searching for who screamed.

"OH MY GOD!" Alauna cried. An orange and red glow blossomed beyond the city walls. Stacks of smoke scaled to the sky, carried away by the wind. The despaired screams of people howled in the night.

"What the Hell is going on?" Carmelita wavered.

"HELP! HELP!" A feline woman tripped over her feet, landing in a face full of sand. She scrambled back up, running for dear life. "SOMEONE PLEASE HELP US!"

"What's happened?!" Slytunkhamen caught the woman in his arms. She was covered in what appeared to be soot.

"The palace guards! Th-th-they've gone mad!"

"What have they done?! Tell me!"

"They destroyed the tavern I work in! And two more afterward! Two of my friends have been killed!" She buried her face in Slytunkhamen's chest, muffling her sobs.

"What's come over them?!" Carmelita barked. She is an officer of the law. Hearing of a flagrant abuse of authority sickens her. "They are royal guards! They should protect the people! Not kill them!"

The woman sucked her dry lips. Her words tripped over themselves in order to come out properly. "They barged in out of nowhere! Demanding we hand over some man named...Sa-something Kupar!"

"Salim Al-Kupar?!" Bentley, Murray, Carmelita, and Sly gasped.

"That's it!"

"Did they say why?!" Alauna screeched. Wanton destruction for one man. Cooper or not, there must be a logical reason. Alauna feared the true agenda behind the fiery smokescreen.

"They refused to tell us." Her hysteria steadily swapped for absolute rage and disgust. "They simply demanded him be made present or we'd be sorry!" By the smoke, the guards made good on their threats. The explosions were them not getting what they want. Sly began to fear what the guards will do when they do find Salim. "Please! Please, you have to stop them!" She pounded his chest.

"And we will!" Slytunkhamen swore. "Salim Al-Kupar. He is of our family?" He pressed Sly.

"Different spelling, same bloodline." Sly sternly assured.

"Then we will find him before the guards!"

"Damn straight we will!" Alauna's unsheathed sword captured the gleaming moon. "Bentley! Stay here with Murray and Bob! Tend to our friend."

"Of course!"

"The rest of us are finding Salim, and dealing swift justice to the guards!"

 **xxx**

It was a regular city under siege. The invaders being their own countrymen sworn to protect them. Chaos fed the traveling flames, drowning the city in screams of agony. Stampedes of people ran for their lives, trampling over one another to escape the mad guards. The Dancing Cat let their swords fly, amputating the legs of all who dared turned their backs. The Monitors sprayed noxious gas, rendering their victims unconscious so they may be nailed to walls at a later time. The gorillas feasibly tossed their weight around, pummeling who ran in front of them, and ramming them like out of control bulls.

"GOTCHA!" An Ape guard snatched a fleeing desert mouse by the head. His turban hit the dusty street, squashed by the ape's foot. He cackled victoriously. The stank, horrid stench of his breath sagged the mouse's whiskers and ears. "Well, well, well! The Panther. How retirement has aged you, pathetic one!"

"Respect your elders, you insolent pup!" The Panther snarled. "There is still enough fight left in me to put the likes of you in your place!"

"Normally I'd be excited by a battle challenge." The ape held The Panther by the tail. He twirled him then smacked him on the rough ground. "Unfortunately, I am under orders to bring in Salim Al-Kupar and any and all members of the 40 thieves alive. In pieces, but alive."

"Excuse me." The ape was poked on the shoulder. He tediously looked back. Carmelita wiggled her fingers in a mockful greeting. She spun on her toes. The ape's ribs shattered under her mighty roundhouse kick. He flew to a painful crash into baskets of fruit. Stars floated around his head. Carmelita proudly cracked her knuckles, greatly enjoying that. "And that's why you never pick on the little guy!"

"CARMELITA?!" The Panther was very happy and baffled to see Carmelita back in Arabia. "What are you doing here? Where are the others?"

"Plenty of time to chat later!" Carmelita sat Panther on her shoulders. "We need to find your brothers and get back to the hideout!"

"Don't bother." Panther whimpered disheartened. "Aside from myself, Tiger, Lion, and Salim - my brothers are either captured, or have fled."

"Then we'll just have to work on freeing them!" Carmelita winked, erecting a positive thumb. Panther let his head hang in failure. There was no fight left in his old body to extend faith in one so green. "You'll see, Panther. We'll find your friends, and work on breaking the rest out."

"That is if your friends can rescue them before they are poached."

"I'll bet you Lion and Tiger are already at the hideout, chowing down on humus."

 **xxx**

Sly and Slytunkhamen skulked on the rooftops, steering clear of the riot destroying the town below. The night spanned longer than anticipated. Salim and his brothers are harder to find than the last time. The guards encountered were far from helpful. Sky and Slytunkhamen cracked skulls, broke noses, twisted ankles, and poked eyes. None of the guards were talking. Salim and the thieves, by the frightening looks of things, are either captured...or worse. That is, until Sly and Slytunkhamen happened on a random turn.

The raccoons poked their heads part of the way. Two ape guards laughed maniacally, taunting two familiar they had by the tails. "That's Lion and Tiger!" Sly whispered excitedly. What a relief. "Salim and the guys are here." Sly sighed woefully for Salim. "These guys just can't fade into retirement."

"Then let us make haste before those guards force them into permanent retirement." Slytunkhamen whipped over the edge, riding a pole to street level. A fire lit Sly's spirit and he dropped beside Slytunkhamen.

"HEY!" One of the apes bellowed. "Who are you?! Explain yourself!"

"SLY!" Lion and Tiger lit up like festival lights.

"You two have till the count of five to put them down!" The apes snorted at Slytunkhamen's foolish threat. They dumbly tempted fate and stepped forward. "FIVE!" Sly hooked one guard by the neck, planting his ugly face to the filth it belonged in. He whipped around, sharply jabbing the cane's end in the second guard's neck. Air was blocked. Slytunkhamen somersaulted to a crouch, bearing his sickle canes. In four swift strikes, the guard fell like a rag doll. Lion and Tiger were reunited with the ground again.

"MY FRIEND!" Lion and Tiger ran to Sly, leaping into warm hugs. "We've never been so happy to see anyone!" Lion rubbed his face in Sly's chest.

"Nor have we missed anyone as much!" Tiger's tail wagged. "You came at the most opportune time! And who is this?"

"I am Slytunkhamen Cooper II." Slytunkhamen formally greeted. "A pleasure."

"Another Cooper?" Tiger bobbed his head pleased. "Fortune smiles upon us."

"Sorry that it took us so long." Sly pet his head. "As much as we'd like to know what's going on, we need to get back to the hideout where it's safe."

"What about Salim and Panther?!" Lion worried. "During the chaos we lost sight of them!"

"Carmelita and a close friend of mine are out there looking for them." Sly reassured the two. "Salim and Panther will be at the hideout before we know it." _I hope._

 **xxx**

The mania appeared to be pacifying. Salim emerged a small ways to inspect the streets. No guards, and no people. If he played his cards right, and watched where he stepped, perhaps he can get to the docks and hide away.

"Aye..." Salim's old legs ached tiptoeing. "Why, fate, do you not want me to enjoy my retirement?"

A whip snared Salim by the ankle. A sharp tug landed him a mouth full of dirt. The ape guard chuckled triumphantly. He reeled the whip to his wrist. Salim, spitting up dirt, clawed to escape. The thorns of the whip buried themselves further the harder he struggled. The Ape's fingered feet crushed his back. Salim grit his teeth, drawing blood, refusing to give the satisfaction of a wail.

"You should have come quietly like your brothers." The ape guffawed.

"My brothers never went quietly!" Salim defiantly spat. He wormed a bit of room to meet the gaze contemptuous gaze of his captor. "You threaten innocent townsfolk, and then round us up like cattle to be slaughtered! For protecting them!"

"Lambs are slaughtered, Al-Kupar!" The ape briefly removed his foot, then stomped Salim's old, brittle back. "Cattle are milked for all they are worth," He lined the smooth edge of his scimitar with Salim's neck, "Then processed into edible portions!" His low chuckle cast ice to Salim's spine. The dates he'd eaten bubbled to his throat. The ape hoved the scimitar tip above Salim's neck. "Your remains will fertilize the farms!"

Alauna vaulted off the roof. She landed on a knee, he sword drawn at her side. The Ape paused, feeling a jolt at his feet. He moved not even a centimeter. Alauna pierced his back. The sword sprouting bloodied from his chest. She wrenched him off to the side, throwing him to the dirt. She unsheathed her sword from his corpse, flicking the blood off before she sheathed her sword again. Salim was relieved to be spared, but horrified by the carnage.

"Salim Al-Kupar?" Alauna knelt beside him.

Salim shook himself from his daze. "Y-yes?" He couldn't stop himself from trembling.

Alauna dusted dirt off his turban, checked him for worse wounds than his ankle. He should be able to make the run. "Please!" Alauna extended a hand. "We must hurry!"

Her appearance horrified Salim. "You're...a leopard?" His dry throat cracked.

Alauna's ears twitched. Guards shouting overlapping commands drew near. "Come on!" Alauna hoisted him to his feet. "Follow me!" She practically dragged him.

Guards flooded the streets. Frightened citizens ran amok, screaming and pleading for help. The guards were indiscriminate in who received the brunt of their wrath. Those who weren't killed for taking a wrong turn were either beaten, or tossed aside like trash. Salim and Alauna scanned the roads before ducking to the next path. Alauna upped her pace the closer the guards drew. Salim's ankle burned mercilessly the faster he was forced to run. Thankfully she didn't make him run very far. Alauna retreated into random alleyways, taking sudden turns and running in circles to lose the stampeding guards. She finally stopped at a dead end, hiding herself and Salim behind barrels filled with an assortment of fruits.

Alauna poked half her head. Guards ran past, completely ignorant of Salim and Alauna's presence. She released a breath, falling on her butt to rest. "That was close. By the by," She smile, offering her hand, "My name is-" Salim tackled Alauna. He pinned her by the collar. The ground slamming at her back robbed wind from her lungs. Her breath hitch at the cold metal touching her jugular. A scimitar in the shape of a Cooper Family cane. _He really is a Cooper._

"Foul, Leopard! What trickery is this?!" He frothed. His mustache and beard bounced wildly. Rage burned in his eyes. "Do you truly believe you can sweep me off the streets so easily like the others? A poor mistake!" The serrated edge slit her flesh, drawing a line of blood.

 **xxx**

Bandages and ointments applied to her burns, cuts, and assortment of bruises, the feline tavern worker bid her farewells to the generous Cooper Gang. Thanks to them, she will be able to return to her family this night. Provided, the chaos rioting the city has not leaked to the neighboring villages.

"Thank you all so much for your kind help." She glowed. It eased her to know humane kindness hasn't entirely gone the way of the genie. In some it flourishes brightly. "I don't know how I will ever be able to repay you."

"There's no need." Bentley reassured her, shaking her hand. Murray and Bob lingered in the hideout's doorway. Warm smiles bolstered the woman's waning faith in her fellow man. "Thank us by taking care of yourself."

"I shall. Farewell, my friends." She proffered a bow. Being mindful of the open beach, she scampered silently, disappearing into the night. For Bentley's sake, she'll find her family and take them far from here.

Carmelita emerged from the shadows in the woman's place. She carried herself, and her hitchhiker on her shoulders with pride. Panther waved ardently at his old friends. Bob was puzzled by the tiny man. Murray and Bentley beamed exulted. Sly and Slytunkhamen arriving with the Lion and Tiger caused the three mice to holler jubilated. The mice sprinted the gap, throwing themselves in a hearty embrace, bouncing and giggling frenziedly.

"MY FRIENDS! I AM PLEASED TO SEE YOU ALIVE!" Panther wept with joy.

"That is our line, you sentimental old fool!" Tiger placed his teary eyes to Panther's shoulder.

"Speaking of old fools," Lion was perturbed by Salim's absence, "Why is Salim not here?"

Sly and the others stiffened nervously. That was a good question. Here's another, "Where's Alauna?" Murray noticed she was missing.

 **xxx**

The cold, jaded dirt at her back, Alauna forced herself to stay as still as a statue. Her hands lying at head height. She swallowed a rigid lump. The cane shaped scimitar broke her twitching skin. A thin, warm line of blood flowed. Sweat beaded off the the corner of her fear spread eyes. The looming hateful glower of Salim Al-Kupar shredded her mercilessly. Expression similar to these are not unheard of. Yet it astonished Alauna a Cooper can wear it with no effort.

"Answer me, Vile Leopardess!" Salim virulently bid. Alauna's felt her heart skipping beats. "Confess to the crimes you've committed, and perhaps I shall show you mercy!" He shoved the scimitar to the crook of her neck. He brought his scowl unpleasantly close. "Though, were the roles switched, you would grant me no mercy."

"Please! Calm yourself, Master Al-Kupar!" Alauna begged. Distress fractured her voice. She inhaled rhythmically, managing to bring herself to a calmer state. It's hard to believe. Alauna...she's terrified. "I assure you, I mean no harm!"

"Then why have you brought me here?!"

"To save you from that guard! He was going to kill you!"

"Why bother to save me?" He edged the tip of his cane. The bones in Alauna's neck started to bend. "Are you a minion of Ahlii Parda? Come to deliver me to your master?!"

 _Ahlii Parda?_ An unsettlingly familiar name. A Pardelaytra rather than a Spot of Arabia, no doubt. A pattern appears to be forming. "I have no master. No one besides myself commands me!" Alauna professed devoutly. It was hard to level her tone at sword point. Salim was not the slightest bit convinced of her virtue. But he hadn't come to a judgement to pass on her. "My reasons for saving you are just. It is at the behest of a mutual friend of ours. Sly Cooper."

"How do you know of him?" Salim's temper swelled. The scimitar jiggled at her throat. He's too old for riddles.

Alauna's neck stung. The shaking scimitar chaffed the prick at her throat. Salim stayed his hand for the time. One more indirect response, and Alauna's blood will be on Sly's Ancestor's hands. "Sly is a very close friend of mine." Dancing around the issue will only put her in a worse spot. "Murray, Bentley, and Carmelita as well."

"Lies! All lies!" Alauna strained a yelp. The jerked scimitar widened her wound. "Leopards do not possess the capacity nor the compassion necessary for friendship! They only see those around them as pawns! Tools to be wielded until tossed like garbage." Alauna's parted lips spoke no protest. Too aghast by his declaration. Albeit a twinge of hurt pricked her. "Similar sweet words were conveyed by Ahlii Parda before he plunged a knife in my back! Betraying me for riches and power!"

Alauna lied frozen, gaping and melting in deja vu. A rerun of Pardelaytra and Slytunkhamen. By Salim's confession, Alauna ventured a theory Ahlii Parda and her grew up as friends. Then the worst falling out tore them apart. Salim's animosity for him was directed to her. Slytunkhamen, Bob, Spot - is her resemblance not a coincidence as she tries to convince herself. "You have absolutely no reason to trust me! I understand!" She appealed with her eyes squeezed closed. "But the future has come to meet the past once more, and I -at present - am the only one who can safely guide you to a haven!"

"Why should I believe a word you say?"

"For one simple reason, Master Al-Kupar." In one swift motion Alauna pushed the scimitar aside, throwing Salim off balance. She spun her whole body under him. Her right leg came about and stole his leg from under him. Salim was now on the floor, and a handheld cannon barrel at his temple. A calf pinned his waist and a forearm to his throat, "It is within my power to kill you."

"That is cheating!" Salim spat.

"I am not one to play fair whilst circumstances are dire!" Alauna got off of him. Salim choked breathing in deprived fresh air. He must be getting old if a pup was able to get the better of him. A woman, no less. "And right now, it is pertinent that I bring you to Sly before he thinks the worst!" She offered him another hand. Salim, led by his wounded pride, refused the hand and rose to his own feet. Alauna wasn't offended. She'd be embarrassed too if she was in his place. "Keep your head down, and try to keep up."

"I do not need the likes of you to tell me the obvious." Salim snarled.

Alauna and Salim sprang over the fruit barrels. They pressed their backs to the walls, searching the quieted streets. The guards seemed to be vacant in this area. Citizens no doubt went into hiding. Alauna and Salim crept to the open street, staying close to stands and alleys in case cover was needed. Salim watched their backs while Alauna watched ahead. Each turn raised the paranoia of an enemy emerging to strike them down. Alauna had her gun set to a silent discharge. Less chance of reinforcements hearing. Salim kept his cane close to his breast.

Guards patrolled the next street. More were on the approach on the end. Salim and Alauna scaled a ladder to the roof. The hideout was a few short roof hops away. The two ran across ropes, skipped on spires, and leapt tremendous gaps at a comfortable speed. Salim silently admired Alauna's agility. There are very few capable of matching a Cooper acrobatically. This girl was dancing she maneuvered so gracefully. Salim's ankle gradually numbed the pain, but it would need to be treated when they arrived.

Salim and Alauna breached the city walls, entering the bazaar. She signaled Salim to follow. She caught him and eased him onto his foot. Passing the bazaar's fountain will mark them homefree. It was just a matter of treading lightly, and snaking past the last arch before the beach. The guards were too concerned with the inner city to worry about searching and tearing down shops. Alauna and Salim stepped lively. The encirclement of towering buildings put eyes on the back of their chilled necks. The pressure killed Salim's old bones.

"How is it you are able to perform these acrobatic feats?" He broke the tension. "In all my years, only Coopers have been able to fly across rooftops with such speed."

"I have Sly to thank for that." She giggled. "While my grandparents taught me the basics, competing with Sly helped me perfect it."

"I would not call it perfect." Salim snorted.

"Then what would you call it?" She huffed affronted.

"Work in progress." Alauna rolled her eyes. How is this crotchety old bastard related to Sly? Salim scrunched his nose at her. He found it difficult to read her body language. Leisurely is close. However enigmatic is closer. Indeed she is a leopard. Perhaps a facade amongst those spots. A shimmer atop a roof alarmed Salim. "GET DOWN!" Salim drove Alauna to the ground. A soaring arrow pierced the fountain's figurehead.

"What's happened?!" Alauna shrieked.

Salim knit his brow heatedly, darting his eyes for the releaser of that arrow. Another glimmer shined from the wall. A marauder in black had another arrow drawn, and aimed. "RUN! NOW!" Salim was the one dragging Alauna. The arrow whistled across the air, narrowly missing the heel of Alauna's boot. Salim led Alauna in the opposite direction of the hideout. Save their new friend from following them.

The marauder sprinted the wall. He'd release one arrow, wait, and then fire another. The arrows pierced wooden posts, baskets, rugs. Regular fruit skewers were left in the unforgiving volleys. The shots seemed irregular, but they were timed to perfection. An arrow broke a wall, stopping Salim abruptly, and Alauna bumping into him. They backed away to run in the other direction. An arrow grazed Alauna's back, trapping them.

"DAMMIT!" Alauna grabbed the closest thing at hand. A rock. She strained her ears. The marauder's boots hissed on a stop. The drawn bow creaked. _ABOVE!_ Alauna spun and threw a fast curve ball. The rock broke the arrow and bow, knocking it right out of his hand. "You'll have to be faster than that to kill me!" She bore her fangs.

"Do not tempt him!" Salim ducked her past the arrows, leading her to the crowded shops. He made many random turns to get back to the hideout. To Salim's despair, one turn led him and Alauna to a dead end. The walls too high to jump, and no footholds for them to climb. Maybe we can backtrack and-"

The dressed in black marauder casually entered the alleyway. He purposefully approached at a slow pace, savoring Salim and Alauna's assailant removed the hood of his cloak. Alauna's mouth and eyes widened. It never ceased to surprise her. A male brownish red leopard smirked sinisterly. Whiskers smoothed together, curling on the ends. A neatly trimmed black beard at his chin. Alauna could not explain it. The man fired arrows in an attempt to kill them. She should be furious. Instead...she was entranced by him. The alluring air surrounding him commanded a certain...respect. It also projected a hint of danger. Long Range projectiles are this man's sole rapport.

Those piercing golden eyes were drawn to Alauna's flushed fixation. Her glossy admiration of his person flattered him. "Quite the beautiful companion, Salim." His baritone coo deepened Alauna's blush. "I am almost contrite she will not live to see the next sun rise." He traced fingers to his scimitar. Alauna's trance severed in an instant, replaced by rancor.

"Do not be fooled, Ahlii Parda." Alauna's ears flinched at the name. "This girl is not one to trifle with." He stated in a shudder.

"Then consider me intrigued." He purred. He cast a keen eye. He has a knack for recognizing dangers. And this girl is dangerous. She carried herself like a warrior. Not at all meek like the village women. Her stance speaks to her brash and brazen courage. The odd weapons she carries allege she is definitely dangerous."Pardon me, My Lady, for my rudeness." He bowed at the hip, sweeping a hand. "Who might you be?"

"It is proper manners to introduce yourself first!" Alauna snapped. "Seeing as how you are the one inconveniencing us with this subterfuge!" Alauna will be cursing herself for weeks for walking into this trap.

"Quite right. I am Ahlii Parda. Vizier to the Sultan of Arabia, and his most trusted of council." He salivated on his honorific. Salim scoffed in revulsion. Ahlii amd Alauna shot reprimanding leers. Salim shrugged impassively. he was not going to hide his hostility. "And you are?"

Ahlii Parda is no friend to either Salim or Alauna. He would sooner bury his sword inside them than allow them to walk away unnscathed. Nevertheless, as a man of high stature, Alauna swallowed her bride and bent a knee. "Alauna Lea Parde, Lord Ahlii Parda."

"Lea Parde..." He hummed. A lump clogged Alauna's throat. "Your name. It bears a similarity to mine." Ahlii warily approached Alauna, sheathing his sword so not to rouse a battle not warranted. He studied her closely, head to toe. His intense ogling was felt on her skin. Alauna stifled her bashfulness of his intruding person. Salim resisted the urge to shove him far from her. "I must confess, you resemble my late wife to a Tee. You could very well be her."

"High praise, Lord Ahlii Parda. I thank you." She bowed her head.

"Are you related to her?"

"I fear my resemblance is mere coincidence. As is the pronunciation of my name."

"What a shame." Ahlii Parda tempted luck, pinching his thumb and finger to her chin. "Eternal bliss would be mine to know my wife lived again." He traced his thumb on her lower lip. "Albeit resurrected in a younger, vivacious form."

"Flattery, Lord Ahlii Parda, curries no favor with me." Alauna tenderly removed the hand. "Least of all when the flatterer makes an attempt on an innocent man's life."

"INNOCENT?!" Ahlii Parda held his stomach in laughter. "My Dear naive girl, do you not know who this man is?"

"He is family to a close friend of mine." That is all she cared about.

"You are aware he is a thief."

"It is of no consequence to me."

"It should."

"Why is that?"

"Thieves are notorious for misleading their victims." Ahlii Parda folded his arms. He took two steps closer, imposing his superior stature. "Lying through their teeth, and seducing others with their silver tongues."

"As you attempt to do so with me." Alauna sternly countered. "The difference being, I trust the man behind me." It caught Salim off guard to hear such warming words.

"By what means has he won your favor?"

"He was willing to sacrifice himself for the people YOUR MEN," She erected an accusing finger, "Harmed indiscriminately. And livelihoods you reduced to rubble!"

"Thieves and collaborators are granted no mercy. This is the way of our land." Ahlii Parda folded his hands behind his back. Stepping hard so the dirt will grind in the feline ears monitoring him. "Salim's brothers were captured because they are such." He snuck a snide grin to Salim. "All but surrendered at the drop of the doors." Salim growled past gritted teeth.

Alauna spun in Ahlii Parda's path to Salim, resting a hand to his stomach. "His brothers were captured in hopes the citizens would be spared." Ahlii Parda leered grimly. He withdrew as she edged him. "For that I trust him, and all those who follow him. And I'll kill any who threatens them." Her leopardess eyes narrowed to slits.

Ahlii Parda pulled Alauna in by the shirt, crossing a dagger to a thin vein on her neck. Salim rooted fearfully in place. Too afraid to act and cost Alauna her young life. The cold blade at her neck paused, teasing a throbbing vein. An unwise move or a firm slash will end her in a breath. Alauna kept her wits about her. She stared Ahlii Parda in the eye, granting not the smallest twinge of fear. Ahlii Parda matched her steadfast challenge, gliding the dagger to her pounding heart.

"To play god is a treat many do not possess the stomach for. Too tart for their tastes." He put his lips to her ear, whispering huskily, "I am not so weak. Shall I pass judgment upon you, conspirator?"

"If I may do so upon you, traitor." Ahlii Parda felt something press to his side. A foreign weapon he has yet to familiarize was at his vital organs. A cannon in hand of sorts. "Inside this is a fire so powerful it is capable of blowing a hole through stone." She clicked the hammer back. "Care to sample the effects it has on the flesh?"

Ahlii Parda chortled, entertained by her bravado. "Most impressive, young lady." He removed the dagger, returning it to his armored boot. Alauna took no chances. She aimed her revolver for his heart, daring him to test her. Ahlii Parda surprised her and Salim by stepping aside. It must be a trick. "Make haste before a patrol find us idling."

"What are you up to, Ahlii?!" Salim hissed.

"The ferocity within this creature..." Ahlii outlined is hands to Alauna's deceptive figure, "I would relish facing it in battle, rather than eliminating it in its prime."

"Another selfish act!" Salim snarled.

"Selfish - true. But my selfishness is sparing your lives."

Salim believed that deceitful feline as far as he could throw him. Alauna shared his resentment. Her revolver stayed aligned with his heart. She locked hard gazes with Ahlii Parda, searching for the lies Salim is convinced he spews. The rest of him did not go ignored. The smallest twitch and he will die. A silent promise Ahlii Parda was certain she'd keep. Amethyst and Gold conjoined by truculent sparks. Alauna unlocked the hammer, holstering her gun. Her action dumbfounded Ahlii Parda and Salim.

Alauna turned on her heels. She snatched Salim by the wrist, leading him down the path opened to them. Perhaps only once. She shot Ahlii Parda one final glare. A warning to him. Acceptance of his challenge. He quirked a brow, watching in admiration of the fierce child leaving with his prize.

"Alauna Lea Parde." He showed fangs in a toothy grin. "How bright our family's legacy will be."

 **To be continued.**


	17. Broken Wings

**Broken Wings**

 **Moving on.**

 **xxx**

Gloved fingers lovingly brushed a winged charm. The silver shining in morning light, the grooves of the curvature wing massaging the thumb. Another finger nostalgically glided over the serrated edges where the charm had been broken. Lips shaped to a sad smile. Reminiscent of a day in the VERY distant past. A day when one friendship triumphed over all others, and nothing weakened such a bond. A shame those days are sacrificed.

 _'Here you go.'_ The sound of metal breaking chimed. _'This is for you.'_

 _'But this is your favorite, Allie! Why would you break it?'_ Enigma graced her fingertips along the parted wing.

 _'So I'll be with you at the Interpol Academy, and wherever else the world takes you."_

"I always carried you with me. Did you do the same?" Her hand closed around it, placing it to the wounded heart of the green eyed agent. "Our bond was stronger than anything." A promise made long ago. One that was supposed to be kept. Broken because of a heinous raccoon, and his raggedy band.

 _'How can you stomach working alongside such weak, idiotic fools?'_

 _'They are an acquired taste. I don't expect you to understand.'_

"An acquired taste?" Enigma scoffed her disgust to the dirt. "They have soured your tongue! Perverted your fine palate! Coerced you to settle rather than excel for the finer!" To see such a brilliant English woman swayed by the smooth tongue of a thief. The indignation of it was enough to make her vomit. "We swore long ago to be by each others' side." The green eyes narrowed to daggers. "Just wait, Allie. will save you from the vile clutches of the Cooper Gang.

 **xxx**

 **(Sly POV)**

 _Sly played cards with Bentley, losing his fifth hand, and the pot. Murray and Bob engaged in an intense eating contest. Slytunkhamen and Carmelita shared stories of their adventures. Sly, receiving cards for his sixth game, looked out the window with a solemn sigh._

 _It's been over an hour. Not one word from Alauna or Salim. The noise outside died down. That made us worry more._ _Lion, Tiger, and Panther languidly rolled a ball. Fear for Salim drained them to shells._ _Were they captured? Are they hiding? We came up with every possible reason as to why they hadn't returned._ _Sly picked up a chip, crushing it in his palm._ _Alauna and Salim are two of the most skilled people I know. Capturing them won't be easy. It can't be._

 _The hideout's curtain flew open._ _I love it when I'm right._ _Beacons in the apprehension, Salim and Alauna appeared, waving heartily._ _Salim and Alauna finally made it, and everyone cheered like we won a war._ _Bentley, Slytunkhamen, and Murray ambushed her with praise and hugs. Sly and Carmelita pat Salim on the shoulders. He wrapped his arms to them. Lion, Tiger, and Panther hugged him tightly, scared it was the last time they'd ever see him._ _Bob especially._ _Bob basked Salim in fervent licks head to toe. He hung his drenched arms, glowering at his soggy shirt. He was shocked by Slytunkhamen._

 _I got introductions out of the way._ _Sly introduced Salim to his predecessor. Salim and Slytunkhamen were transfixed by one another. After all they've seen, the air of impossible clung to them._ _It seemed to take them a second to at least prove they weren't illusions._ _The two tugged each other's beards. They smiled at one another._ _Salim welcomed Slytunkhamen with open arms. Better than me._ _Sly was jealous by their brotherly handshake._ _Alauna?_ _Alauna timidly stretched a hand,_ _Well…_ _Salim scoffed, dismissed Alauna with a hand, and turned from her,_ _There seems to be a pattern of 'mistrust' towards leopards. I think it's starting to get to Alauna._ _Alauna folded her arms, shaking her head and her rolling her eyes._ _Good thing she's a professional. She tried not to take it personally._ _Sly pat her on the back._

 _Alauna shooed him off, changing the subject. Pretending to forget the matter. Sly furrowed his brow. He joined her at the table where everyone gathered around._ _With Salim and his brothers safe with us, it was time to get down to business. Salim was glad we arrived when we did,_ _Salim touched Sly on the shoulder,_ _because Arabia was waist deep in trouble again. A royal vizier by the name of Ahlii Parda was calling the shots this time around._

 _Royal Vizier now, a thief long ago. Apparently Ahlii Parda used to be Salim's right hand man back in their thieving days. A member of the 40 Thieves, and one of Salim's oldest friends._ _A young Ahlii Parda and Sallim shaking hands, brothers in arms._ _They bonded when they both sought to rob the palace of half the bread and wheat._ _Mistrusting and glaring Salim and Ahlii Parda grudgingly packed bread and wheat._ _Rations to feed the poor and hungry throughout the harsh winter._ _Salim and Ahlii Parda equally distributed the rations, becoming brothers in arms._ _As the years rolled by, the two grew closer. Became brothers. Ahlii Parda always had Salim 's back. Helping him pull off extraordinary jobs. Go to extreme lengths Salim wouldn't dare think of doing._ _Ahlii parda threw people in the ocean, broke their arms, and killed them._ _The trump card of the 40 thieves. And when the 40 thieves weren't employing his services, Ahlii Parda accepted jobs around Arabia. Paid to find the worst of the worst criminals and deliver them dead or alive to his employer._ _Ahlii Parda knelt to the feet of his employers, the heads of the resilient in a sack, and those who surrender tied up in a corner._ _With a catch. He never accepted jobs that would inevitably lead to Salim. He swore an oath to always stand by Salim's side._ _Ahlii Parda slit his palm._ _Protect their land and keep the corrupt from tainting it._ _Salim slit his palm._ _And Salim promised the same._ _The two connected palms, sharing their blood._ _Brothers in arms they swore to be._

 _One day, say 20 some odd years ago, the previous sultan scooped up Ahlii Parda and made him his adviser._ _Salim and his brothers ogling a poster of Ahlii Parda in shock. They exchanged confused stares, wondering how a hunter became entrusted to a king._ _They woke up one morning, and there he was in the square. Haled as the Sultan's Right Hand man. Ahlii Parda never said why he accepted the role. Just that it would be better for all of them if he and Salim went their separate ways._ _Salim and his brothers glared at the closed palace gates._ _Salim didn't buy it. He snuck into the palace one night to get to the bottom of things. What he found..._ _Salim paused in the window, going pale as a sheet,_ _He wished he'd minded his own business._ _Ahlii Parda kissed a beautiful leopardess._

 _Ahlii Parda and the princess of Arabia fell in love, married days after their first date. After that...it all went downhill after that. Ahlii Parda went mad with power. His wife and the sultan mysteriously died years ago, and he's been ruling ever since. As the only one who can stand in his way, Ahlii Parda named Salim and his brothers traitors, and the chaos took its worst turn last night. Half of the retired thieves were rooted out and captured. Only Salim, Lion, Tiger, and Panther were the only ones to escape._

 _Sly and the others nodded in agreement._ _We promised to help Salim free his brothers. Just another problem added to our growing list. Not just getting the van off that ship, but figuring out what Enigma and Bison tired to do to Bob, and what Contessa did to Slytunkhamen._

 _Alauna reached in her pocket and under the table._ _That's when Alauna showed us the blueprints she and Slytunkhamen found in Bison's hideout, and the bug she took off Enigma._ _Alauna opened the blueprints, and set the millipede in the middle._

 _Bentley already started studying the device and blueprints. The raccoon outline unnerved Sly and his ancestors. It was obvious the plans were for them. Bentley tapped the blueprints, understanding the overall plot._ _The blueprint lays out detailed instructions on how to use a Neural device called a Hippo-Pede._ _Bentley displayed the millipede._ _Hippo for Hippocampus._ _Question marks appeared around everyone's heads, except Bentley and Alauna who exhaled impatiently._ _Bentley summed it up with the smallest words possible. The millipede injects itself into the hippocampus and delves into the Procedural Memory, causing a mental lapse that cripples common motor skills. __Sly, Carmelita, and Slytunkhamen deadpanned, lost in translation. Salim, Bob, and Murray shot cherries into each other's mouths. They stopped listening._ _Alauna simplified it further. No one forgets how to ride a bike. The millipede can delve in its victim's head and take that away. You can do it a thousand times. You know you've done it a thousand times. But the millipede's interference prevents you from remembering how. Slytunkhamen's Invisibility technique as a start._

 _Eyes blinked in disbelief._ _Bentley isn't one to exaggerate - too often - or make things up. Neither is Alauna._ _Sly, Salim, Bob, and Slytunkhamen gazed fearfully at that small device._ _This device...was meant for us. For my family. Stealing my family's canes was a crime enough._ _Sly picked up the millipede._ _Now, for a reason only she knows, Penelope wants to steal from our minds. Why?_ _Sly crushed the millipede in his hand._ _I fully intend to find out. Later._

 **xxx**

A silverwing charm shuffled in between Alauna's fingers. It slithered to the pinkie, then back to the index. " _Quirk._ " Alauna muttered thoughtfully.

"What?" Sly shook from his daze.

"Bison mentioned collecting _Cooper Quirks._ " She tapped the blueprints."This explains what happened to Slytunkhamen." In gory detail. Slytunkhamen stroked the healing wound. Forever it will scar him. The millipede the Contessa possessed stole his knowledge on how to use his invisibility technique. "What it doesn't explain is why Penelope wants them."

"But what about Bob?" Sly stroked Bob's own battle scar. "Why didn't it work on him?"

"Because Bob's only accomplishment was the first cane - The Cooper Coat of Arms." Bentley answered. Bob pouted, hugging his cane. He was proud of it. "Climbing up sheer rock walls is a feat in itself, but not a technique restricted to a Cooper." As time proves, anyone can scale a rock wall.

"What concerns me is how Penelope came up with such boorish creations." Alauna lifted a wire of the broken millipede. She quizzically glanced to Bentley, dangling the shambles before him. "As you have said, Bentley, technology like this is not exactly within her wheelhouse. I hold doubts she invented this."

"The feeling's mutual." Bentley declared confidently. A note of anger agitated his tone. He knows Penelope better than anyone. Might even - if one was to be bold enough - care for her still. "Penelope isn't capable of creating something like this. That means...she has a partner working beside her."

"Perhaps the _pigeon_ Bison despises?"

"Anything is possible at this point." Bentley drummed his fingers. "I wonder if she found someone from our time, or took him from the past." Bentley is able to recall every last foe the Cooper Gang has come up against. Dogs, Skunks, Pandas, frogs. A pigeon? If there was a pigeon in the fold, he was a background man. Given Bison's rustic background, Pigeon could be a pseudonym.

"WHO-CARES!" Murray's fists quaked the table. Everyone flinched away from the table. "Who cares about the pigeon?! Who cares about bugs and drawings?! We need to get the van!" Fire spat with his words.

"What is with you and that van?!" Carmelita derided. She was losing her mind. He whines about that van like it was his lover.

Murray yanked Carmelita by the collar. Their noses smashed hard. "I lost that van to the ocean for a whole stinkin' year!" Murray frothed at the mouth like a wild dog. "I won't lose her to it again!" Fire spat with his enraged words.

"/CALM DOWN, MURRAY!/" Bob pulled rigorously at his shoulders.

"Be still friend!" Slytunkhamen freed Carmelita, shoving Murray back by the chest. "Can the van not wait another night longer?" He urgently proposed. A vein split in Murray's head. "Salim's brothers are in dire need of our aid. Our focus should be on rescuing them."

"I agree." Salim knocked on the table. "Thieves are granted not the slightest bit of mercy under the thrall of Ahlii Parda!" He begged to Sly. "We must make haste to rescue them.

"Any operations we accomplish will do us no good if our only means of escape is dead in the water!" Alauna leashed the ancient Coopers' impulsive plans. Pun not intended, but very appropriate. "Not to mention the serious repercussion you two being in the wrong era will afflict to the time stream." Slytunkhamen and Bob sank their shoulders drearily.

"What are you proposing?!" Salim leaned to the table, casting his revulsion across the table. "That we abandon my brothers for your horseless chariot?!"

"Sly, Murray, Bentley, and myself rotted in prison cells for days waiting for the other to stage a rescue." Alauna responded, restraining her swelling anger. "Ahlii Parda expects a rescue. Better to execute one later when the waters calm rather than tread water flooded by search lights.

"Alauna and Murray are right." Bentley banged his fist like a gaval. The tension spanned to a cool. Salim scoffed at Alauna, sauntering edgily to the opposite side of the room. "Our first order of business has to be retrieving and reviving the van."

"Do auto shops even exist right now?" Carmelita habitually voiced the hiccup in his plan. "How do you plan on reviving it once we get it?"

"That's a hitch I'll need to deal with when we get there." Truth be told, he didn't have the first clue.

Yawns from Tiger, Lion, and Panther signaled just how late in the hour it was. "Let us get there in the morning." Alauna proposed. "We'll be no good to the van, or the 40 thieves if we're tired." She opened arms to Murray and Salim, seeking their opinion on the idea. Murray and Salim reluctantly nodded. The mention of sleep calmed them. The fatigue masked by their hunger for action started to set in. Murray plopped to the wall, letting sleep take him.

"I'm right there with you." Sly retreated to the beams above. He propped his feet and was on his way. Bob curled in a corner and Slytunkhamen lied against him. Carmelita, Bentley, the three mice collapsed where they were, too tired to find proper places to sleep.

Salim abstained slumber a while longer. The excitement of today gave his tired body a second wind. Putting hands to his old knees he rose to feet. He stretched his arms above his head, sighing pleasantly as his bones cracked. He truly is getting old. Leave it to young thieves to keep him. Alauna's sleepy groan wrinkled his brow. How at peace the girl appears. A rouse to mask the real threat she is. Salim left the hideout for the fresh air, stopping at the water's edge.

"The Leopard Legacy..." He whimpered in despair, "Their nine lives spare not even Sly.

"Is something wrong, Salim?" Sly sauntered beside him, startling the elder Cooper. He shied his dismay, clapping it from his cheeks. "If it's about your brothers, we will set them free."

"It's...a bit more complicated than that." He delicately remarked. Sly encouraged Salim to confide in him with an innocent stare. What he contained for his descendants sake must be confessed. Lest there be mistrust between them. "That young Leopardess. Alauna is her name, correct?"

"Yes. W-what about her?" Sly mentally cursed his stammer. Talks of Alauna nowadays made him nervous.

"Can she be trusted?"

"Of course. She and I have been friends for years." Sly resented he even had to ask. She did save his life. Salim skeptically shook his head. He faced the water so he wouldn't offend naivete of his descendant. "Why would you ask me that?" Sly curtly intercepted him. "Did Alauna say something to offend you?" Salim's lips parted to answer, then he quelled himself before he offended Sly further. Sly crossed his arms. "Does this have anything to do with the way she looks? Her species?" He forced, growling heatedly.

"Do you think me a racist?!" Salim tried to sound affronted.

"No, but you're hardly the first person to be shocked by how she looks." Pardelaytra, Spot - Alauna acknowledged that Pardelaytra wore a familiar face. However, Slytunkhamen's testimony put it in everyone's head that she may very well be related to him. Spot's keen sense of smell is what named Alauna as his kin, forever raising questions about Alauna's obscure family history. "I haven't met the guy yet," Sly closed the gap, lowering his tone so not to disturb the others, "But I'm willing to bet Alauna is the spitting image of Ahlii Parda, isn't she?"

"Clever boy." Salim chortled. "The pair could be twins." He unhappily answered.

"Sorry to burst your bubble. It's a resemblance. Nothing more." Sly refused to believe it. He would never accept the smallest probability of Alauna being related to that mad man.

"Is it now?" Salim challenged rancorously.

"Yeah! Actually, it is!"

"Friendship and her pretty face blind you already, boy! I have borne witness to her brutish method of fighting." He will not listen to the ignorant prattlings of a child. Least of all one traveling with a danger beside him.

"That brutish method of fighting saved me countless times!"

"And it will be the means to skin you alive!"

"What gives you the right to judge her?"

"Ahliii Parda cornered us in the city. The devil in his eyes, and demons in his words." He will never forget death's fingers at his neck. Ahlii Parda his acolyte to deliver the final blow. Alauna his protege. "Your friend matched him word for glare. Were anyone else present, she would stand accused of being his spawn."

"She's not!" Sly roared. _She's not related to Pardelaytra or Ahlii Parda!_ Sly adamantly denied. _She can't be related to him_. The muscles in his legs weakened to jello. "There's no way she's related to him!"

Salim tied his hands behind his back. He sensed Sly's unwavering faith in her. An admirable quality in a loyal friend. But there are doubts in the boy's eyes. In doubts nurtures a silent trepidation. "This is hardly the first time this subject has arisen. So you said earlier." Salim sneakily turned the conversation. "Flitting about the countless eras, matching brass with the enemy - how many have you met thus far that bear a striking resemblance to your friend?" Sly's neck tightened gulping a lump. He bit his lip. Silence, even in ancient Arabia, is another form of acknowledgment. "Three or more occurrences - coincidence has long abandoned your list of reasons."

"Is there a point in your crazy talk?" Sly no longer has the patience for this old man. "Because all I'm hearing is the ramblings of an old man who REALLY needs to retire."

"Ahlii Parda and I were the best of friends. Brothers, if you will. Until, one day, hunting criminals and locking them away became too dull." Sly's heard this before. He knows how it'll end. Out of respect, he allowed salim to continue. "He kissed the boots of the sultan, secured his place beside the princess, and moved into a position where he could hunt and kill any he pleased."

"Lucky me, Allie isn't Ahlii Parda!" Her nickname a close match, but no cigar. Sly held no reservations admitting it. Alauna looks like Spot and Pardelaytra. She agreed to that to her chagrin. Whether or not she shares their blood is a mystery that will prove wrong. "I'm not going to waste my energy trying to convince you." Sly gave up the fight. No point in arguing with a man too old to change his views. "You obviously set your opinion of her in stone. That's fine. We're all adults."

"Aren't you going to forewarn your best friend of my opinion?"

"She caught on the second you said hi. Plus," Sly bounced a thumb to the window, "She's already up to speed." Alauna sat curled in the window, her feet planted to the side. She flashed him dark smirk. Salim took a nervous step back. She pushed herself out, strutting casually to him with a dark gleam in her eye. "I'm sorry, Allie."

"Why are you sorry?" She snorted. She welcomed the words spoken with open arms, "Honest opinions were voiced. My feelings aren't hurt." She requires feelings for that to happen.

"I will not recant my feelings towards you." Salim declared.

"Misplaced emotional pontificating of a stranger. You can think of me what you like." She permitted dismissively. Alauna strolled to the water's edge, hands on her hips and a pleased smile on her lips, lavishing in the soothing crashes of the tiny waves. "My parents spoke worse of me before they vanished. Nothing you say so much as twitches my whiskers." She flared her nostrils playfully. The contempt dripped from her words like a poison. Her strut wafted a malevolent cape adorning her shoulders. Salim braced himself. She is a dangerous girl. "We have a busy day in the morning, gentlemen. Let's get some sleep." She moseyed back inside the hideout. Everything that needed to be said was said. Sly followed after her, finding the fresh air to be tainted. Salim lingered by the water a while longer, unable to muster the courage to enter whilst tensions were hot.

 **xxx**

 _ **Operation: Let my van go**_

Because of the late night, the morning was paved over into the afternoon. Waking up was a trial. The gang would have slept until the next morning. To put it gently, bricks bashed their skulls throughout the whole night. Lead weighed their eyes closed. They wanted to sit up and get themselves limbered up for the tasks ahead. Their muscles were stiff and tired. Bentley's boisterous epiphany woke them wide up. He had everyone up and gathered outside in a matter of seconds. What he introduced to his friends almost made them faint.

"Bentley, you've lost your mind." Sly gawked in total disbelief. He and the others' head tilted upward. Apprehension and wonder hung their mouths agape.

If they weren't seeing it with their own eyes, Alauna and the others would not be believing it. Somehow, while everyone was asleep, Bentley procured a catapult. Military armament by it's condition and care. A wheel and lever marked by Arabic numerals dictated the resistance in the pull back, and the distance projectiles will travel. Bentley set it up five feet deep in the water. He wanted to set it up further in the ocean. Unfortunately Bentley sinks like a rock, and his boosters can't suspend him above water for very long. So everyone will have to settle for five.

"/Your plan.../" Bob gulped his curdling lunch back to his stomach, "/Is to catapult us onto the boat?/' Bentley blew on his knuckles, dusting them proudly to his chest. "/Are you nuts?/"

"It's the perfect plan!" Bentley reassured his doubters. "Murray!" He went rigid. A knot in his stomach told him this wouldn't be good. "Because you've sailed a boat before, you'll be catapulted over and will dock the ship. Bob will go with you for extra muscle, and Carmelita as backup in case of opposition."

"Why /us/?" Bob and Carmelita shirked unnerved from the catapult.

"Because I said so!" Bentley's passionate bark sealed their lips shut. He shot glares at the others. Hands flew up in submission, and shaking heads signaled no contest. There are sneaking suspicions Bentley cut his sleep short.

Alauna stepped forward. "What is to be done after Murray commandeers the ship?" She encouraged Bentley continue.

Bentley cleared his throat. He reached over and picked up a controller. "Once he's got the ship docked," He pressed a red button. The famed RC chopper hovered by his head, "I'll hook the van with the grapple I modified to my RC chopper. With Bob and Murray pushing, I'll help pull the van to the safe house."

"How do we start it up again?" If the battery is dead like Bentley claims, Sly wanted to have their ducks in a row this time. Luck's been on their side thus far. Improvising on the fly yielded favorable results. Sly would like to not press their luck too far in one setting.

"One thing at a time." Bentley regretfully replied. Confidence in Bentley's plan evaporated into thin air. "Sorry, guys." He cringed at the shaken reactions. Bentley tossed the tablet to the table. X's, red scribbles, circles with a slash smeared five different plans. 11 trash bin apps filled to the brim with discarded plans. "I thought of every possible way to charge the van. Including waiting for a thunderstorm." He swiped to the kite plan. Throw up a kite, attach it to the van, cross his fingers, and hope for the best. Bentley checked his weather maps. A good shower wasn't due for another month or so. And he sincerely doubted Ben Franklin's method wouldn't blow the van to bits. "I'm not sure what we can do at this point. The van's gonna be dead weight for a while."

"That's alright. Don't be so harsh on yourself." Alauna amiably pardoned. He can't be expected to think of everything. It may prove efficient to future plans to take things slow. She pat his head, staring their goal a hop, skip, and jump away. "We agreed to get the van. Reviving it was a planned work in progress."

"Then let us get this _work in progress_ going." Salim rushed. Every second they wasted bantering unnecessarily, the higher the pendulum rises ascends to chop their heads off. "You three! In that contraption! GO! GO! GO!" Salim shoved them along. Bob was thrown on first, then Murray, and Carmelita in his arms. Salim drew his cane back. "HAPPY TRAILS!"

"WAIT!" The pleas were too late. Salim hastily cut the rope. Murray, Bob, and Carmelita soared, flipping wildly over shark infested waters.

Salim's mustached was sharply tugged, "YOU CRAZZY-ASS!" Alauna roared animally. He grasped threatened to tear Salim's mustache, ripping skin with it. "BOB AND MURRAY CAN'T SWIM!"

"AND!" Salim roared back. "Bentley planned to catapult them!"

"BENTLEY-DIDN'T-CALIBRATE-THE-DISTANCE!" She shook that old head of his. Hairs ripped at the roots. "It wasn't measured for the boat!"

"Oh…" Salim glanced toward the flying trio, the ocean, then back at the snarling girl. "Oopsie…" He laughed nervously.

 **xxx**

The ocean and hungry sharks whisked by in a blurr. Murray clamped hands over his eyes, unable to bear watching his grave approach. Bob and Carmelita flailed frantically, ear piercing screams echoing across the water. The flight drifted toward the water. _THUD! THUD! THUD!_ Unkempt wooden planks grazed and battered the three on a rough crash landing. Passengers yelped frightened, jumping into each other's arms. Murray, Bob, and Carmelita abysmally moaned. Traumatic flashes of their lives passed them.

 **xxx**

Back on the shore, the rest of the Cooper Gang shared binocucoms. They released breaths of joyous relief, hands touching pounding chests. Alauna grunted angrily. She wrenched Salim's collar, smashing his nose to her cheek. "You ever do something so stupid again, I'll launch you next and you won't land on that boat." She harshly curled her fingers, gripping his jaw. "Am I clear, Salim Al-Kupa?" A crazed and dark smile broke Salim in a cold sweat.

"Absolutely!" Salim hoarsely squeaked.

"Very good." Alauna dropped him like a sack. Salim shifted frightened eyes to Sly and Bentley. Their impish grins said, _Scary, isn't she?_ "I expect opposition on shore. I'll wait by the docks."

"I shall accompany you." Slytunkhamen skipped after her. Bentley eyes batted baffled. "A body at your back guarantees arrows will miss." He extended her an elbow.

Alauna happily accepted the elbow. Bentley gawked gobsmacked. "I agree. Thank you."

Bentley growled vexedly. " _An arrow at your back...I agree-neh-neh-neh!_ " He mimicked lividly. He horse sputtered, deflating like a balloon. "I've watched her back dozens of times, Buddy!"

"You say something, Bentley?" Sly raised a brow.

"Just that I'm sending my Buddy to watch our _BUDDIES_!" A twisted grin unnerved Salim and Sly. Bentley tossed the chopper in the air. The propellers stopped it from flipping, and it flew after Slytunkhamen and Alauna.

 **xxx**

Carmelita groaned dazedly. She lifted a bucket partly from her eyes. A hose nozzle greeted her brow. Following the nozzle, a Monitor Lizard and a handful of his friends surrounded her in a U. Hoses linked to cannisters packed with a noxious gas threatened to fill her airways with a squeeze of the trigger. Murray wrestled vigorously in a stack of rope, succeeding in tangling himself up worse. Throwing himself upright, he flexed his arms to snap the ropes. He gawked at the aimed hoses, and instead relaxed in his bindings. Bob sprouted in a barrel. A limp fish on his head. He raised a disinterested brow. Little reptiles with big guns, frighten him they do not.

"Who are you strangers?!" The lead Monitor demanded with his scraggly voice. "How dare you invade His Majesty's convoy ship!"

"/Can we please talk later!/" Bob lifted his wet body from the fish barrel. "/We're in a bit of a rush, and don't have time for you./"

"Make time, Heathen!"

"/Uhh…/" Bob twirled his cane into his hands, "/No thank you!/" Carmelita loaded her pistol. charged surges at the barrel highlighted her evil grin. The guards prepared themselves.

Bangs, booms, cracks, and cats meowing sundered the deck. Mops, brooms, and soap flew in every directions. Bloodcurdling screams chilled the spectators on shore to the bone. Electrical blossoms glowed vibrantly. Fish trapped in barrels flapped overboard. A vicious battle rocked the ship, ushering waves in the water. Soon guards were thrown overboard and or voluntarily threw themselves in the water. Bob and Carmelite dusted their palms boastfully. Though they sort of felt cheated. As guards to the sultan himself, a better fight should have been offered. Not that they were complaining too much. It gave Murray plenty of time to get free and take the helm.

"Way to go, guys!" Murray spun the helm. The ship veered starboard. The port Murray was asked to dock at was marked by the Jackal God statues safeguarding the city's noble walls. Ships left while the Cooper Gang slept the entire morning away, leaving it open, and smooth sailing.

"Uh-oh! We've got trouble!" So much for smooth sailing. Carmelita spied on the shore from her binocucom. Ape, and Siamese Cat guards herded to greet the approaching ship. A handful of them. Nothing too drastic that can't be handled. The cannons mounted on the walls, however, put them at a disadvantage. "If those guards catch us, we're as good as dead." She touched her ear wig. "Are any of you reading me?"

" _Loud and clear._ " Sly responded. " _Alauna and Slytunkhamen are enroute with the chopper._ "

"Great…" Carmelita rolled her eyes. Alauna taking part in backing her. Her reputation is shot. "Mind telling them to hurry up?"

" _Always so impatient._ " Carmelita grit her teeth, despising that haughty British chortle. " _Are you fond of magic tricks?_ "

"Why? Are you going to disappear?"

Alauna giggled ominously. " _In a matter of speaking._ "

Grapple hooks dug in the deck's bow. Carmelita and Bob frozen like statues. Murray tensed, squeezing the prongs. If Alauna or the others had a plan, it would be nice if they'd get on with it. The Apes pulled the ship in to port. The Siamese cats spun their blade, strutting to meet where the gang plank will be dropped. The apes awaited at the dock steps, standing by in case they are needed. Murray tried to maintain his composure. Being nervous will scream something is amiss. If they guards weren't aware of it already. Bob and Carmelita growled animally. Their fingers tickled the weapons at their sides.

On the wall, Monitor Lizard guards turned the mounted cannons onto the approaching ship. Standard procedure carrying a secret hope to light the fuse and bombard the ship to splinters. Two hooks gagged a guard from behind, dragging him on the other side of his cannon. The middle guard eyed his exposed tail slapping the ground. He moseyed over to check on him. The one guard was unconscious. Stars circling his head. The other drew a breath to alert his friend. Slytunkhamen muffled a cloth to those cries. A strong, pungent odor burned his nose and mouth. Soon the guard was out like a light. "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU-" Slytunkhamen grasped one cane by the base and threw it. The hook rebound off the sole guard's head. He stumbled and hit his head again on the cannon, falling unconscious with a goofy grin.

"That wasn't to bad." He boasted. He rhythmically shined his cane in the sun. The flashes baffled Carmelita, Bob, and Murray. A signal of kinds. But a signal to who and why?

Splashes in the water drew one ape guard's attention down. Excitable splashes lured him to the edge. He got down to one knee and peered over. He was pulled by his furry brow into the water with a SPLASH! The cats and only ape guard jerked to defensive stances. Bob, Murray, and Carmelita held their positions. The cats and ape stalked to where their friend went over. Boards collapsed beneath the cats, dropping them to their watery grave. The remaining guard clamoured in panic, wanting to run and fight at the same time. He hollered to the wall guards, granting them leave to strike. There was no response. He needed to get reinforcements. The ape spun on his fingered heels. A stagnant sword slipped through his chest and out his back. A hand pressed at his chest. Dying eyes met Alauna's wicked smirk in hoor.

"How boring the vizier's men are." She pushed him over, sliding her sword free, and watching the dead ape sink. Murray brought the ship to port. The anchor dropped. Alauna smirked at her shocked friends. "Care to lower the gangplank now, or shall we wait for more to appear?" She playfully disparaged.

"Oh shut up!" Carmelita kicked the plank to the dock. "How is it someone with the most loved accent is so aggravating?"

"It is the sound of intelligence, Carmelita. a subject you are a stranger to."

"What'd you say?!" Carmelita grasped her collar. Alauna chuckled impishly.

"Now, now, Ladies…" Slytunkhamen appeared in time to edged them apart, "The ring will be open at a later time. Right now," He directed them to Bob and Murray who were pushing and pulling the van off the ship, "We have a horseless chariot to see to."

"Fine!" Carmelita hissed while Alauna crooned. Bentley's chopper arrived just in time. Carmelita motioned to it. Bentley released the grapple, hooking it to the bar on the top.

"Is it really dead?" Carmelita caressed the van.

"As a rock." Murray sobbed, hugging his baby. "My poor baby!"

Alauna pat him on the back. "Then let's get her back to the hideout before-" A sound caught her ear. The hairs on her neck stood. Her pupils slit. Alauna gripped her sword, spun and sliced the air. Poison dart halves pierced the dock and boat.

"Take cover!" Carmelita threw the van door open, ducking behind it. Murray grabbed Bob and Slytunkhamen and hid them behind the van. Alauna drew both sword. Her eyes darted frantically, searching for the owner. "Alauna! The wall!" Carmelita bellowed. A figure, Enigma, jumped to the wall, twirling a tiny hose in her fingers.

"That haughty bitch is mine!" Alauna snarled. "Carmelita, with me! The rest of you get that van home!"

"Already ahead of you!" Carmelita charged. Alauna was hot on her heels.

Enigma stepped off the ledge, sprinting for the stairwell to escape in the city. She was not sad she missed. It signified how serious she is about her mission. Enigma's palm touched the pole by the stairwell. Carmelita landed on the wall. A shock bolt to the stomach launched Enigma several feet. She flipped around, shaking off the shock, landing shakily on her feet.

"You're getting faster, Grandma!" Enigma spat.

"No!" Carmelita dropped to the walkway, keeping Enigma in her crosshairs. "You're just too slow!"

"I'm fast enough to handle you!"

"But not me!" Legs wrapped to Enigma's neck. She was ripped from the ground, sent skipping on her stomach into a cannon. Alauna stalked on her haunches, growling ferally. "I have now grown tired of you!"

"A pity!" Enigma cracked her whip side to side. "I was beginning to enjoy toying with you!" She closed the gap in a flash. Alauna backflipped to a safer distance. Enigma fervently unleashed the whip, breaking the sound barrier relentlessly. Alauna dodged side to side, weaving fluidly as the whip hungered to tear her flesh. "When did you lose you bloodlust?! Why do you choose to restrain your blade and use your fists?!" Enigma swept the whip along the ground. Alauna stepped over it, throwing a punch. Enigma guided it, letting Alauna stumble by. "Why are you bending to the whims of those you can easily kill?" A blade extended from her wrist. "WHY ARE YOU BECOMING SO WEAK?!" She thrust the blade.

"Because you have asked," Alauna rolled safely through her legs, "You will never understand." Enigma spun on her heels, drawing the whip. Alauna landed the full brunt of her foot in a devastating kick to her neck. A crack frightfully widened Enigma's eyes. A shimmer coasted in the air. Alauna's fury subsided to abject astonishment, following the shimmer to the ground. Enigma fell stories down. By a pure miracle she landed in a passing by wagon of hay. It broke her fall, but she would not be waking up for quite some time. Carmelita rushed to the ledge, putting the unconscious Enigma in her crosshairs. The wagon disappeared around the corner. Carmelita spat angrily, holstering her gun.

"Dammit! Thought we had her!" The minute Enigma wakes up, her masters will be mounting to oppose the Cooper Gang in a fury. The captured thieves may be in more danger than before. "Come on. We should get back to the hideout and-" Alauna hadn't heard a word carmelita said. She was crouched down, still wearing an awestruck yet horrified expression. In her hand, played with by her fingers, was trinket of sorts. A chain attached to a broken silverwing. "Alauna? What is it? What do you have there?"

Alauna closed the trinket in her hand. She rose to her feet, showing it to Carmelita. It raised more questions than answers. "This...came off...Enigma." Alauna announced zombilly. Lost in a daze.

"Okay…?" Carmelita trailed off. "Is she...not supposed to have it?" Alauna reached into her top, revealing a similar charm. She touched the two halves, making them a whole. Carmelita gaped in awe. She glanced between the links and Alauna. Her frozen shock beckoned an explanation. "Alauna...what am I looking at?"

"This necklace was a gift from my grandparents." She parted the pieces. "I then bequeathed half of it to a girl I cared about very much. So that I will always be with her, and she with me. For all her sins, I still carry her with me."

Bllank melancholy stifled arising questions in Carmelita's throat. Passion that lit a fire in her extinguished, leaving her abysmally pale. "What happened to her?"

"She died four years ago. Took her half with her to the grave." Alauna held the foreign half to the sun, watching it glimmer. "Yet here it is in my hand. Aged somewhat appropriately, around the neck of a woman whose face I've yet to see."

"What was your friend's name?"

"A mutual one between you and I. Constable Neyla Kapur."

 **To be continued.**


	18. Test our Mettle

**Test our Mettle**

 **I KNOW, RIGHT?! I've been gone for so damn long, you probably thought the fic was dead. Well chaps, let me assure you that...IT'S ALIVE!**

 **As for why I only have 1 review, it's because I deleted this, revised it, and updated chapters in one day.**

 **As for this chapter, it is going to be one of the shortest chapters I've EVER written when not making an Author's Note. This is just to prove I'm still updating. This is a tricky fic to write. I have an idea for one humdinger of an ending. I just need to make sure the flow is right. Otherwise I risk losing inspiration.**

 **xxx**

 **(Just moments before the van docks)**

In spite of a commotion heard from one of the neighboring ships sailing Arabia's Coast, the remaining ships proceeded on their current course. Luxurious get togethers and other small parties were rich with haughty laughter, and the sound of food and drink being shared. The wealthy wished to admire the city they own in parts from a new perspective. It was just as glorious from the ocean as it was from the ivory towers of their homes. It was enough to guffaw at in their success.

Not all saw the city in a similar superficial standard as the commonwealth. True. The city was beautiful. What many of them failed to - or did not wish to - acknowledge were the rats scurrying about, tainting the ancient city. Unbeknownst to the rest who turned a blind eye, those very rats succeeded in capturing on the of luxury ships.

The curved lens of a spy glass scrolled the docks. The stolen ship was coming in to port. Guards were aware of the situation and moved to intercept. The spy glass zoomed in for a closer look. It would be a cut and dry apprehension of the perpetrators. Or so it was foolishly believed. The guards on the docks were eliminated one at a time. Whisked off the dock and drowned in the water. As easily as one would steal an item from an unmanned cart and toss it aside.

A familiar band of merry thieves gathered to the dock. Two of the raccoons, the hippo, the fox woman, and the leopardess.

"Most impressive…" A long pink tongue lapped hungrily to fuzzy lips. "Most impressive indeed."

"You are impressed by our enemies, Ahlii Parda?!" A second man with a thick Indian Accent derided the Vizier. "Have you gone blind to the fact they've not only eliminated your guards, but also hindered our capture of Salim Al Kupar?!"

"Of course I haven't, my friend." Ahlii Parda chortled, closing his spyglass. He imagined his anxieties would depart with the death of the sultan. His current comrade in arms was revitalizing the stress no amount of hunting can cure. "In fact, as we speak, I have arranged a little sport for our mutual band of thieves."

"Sport?! BAH! You should eliminate them and drag Salim Al Kupar to your feet!" He stomped, jabbing a finger to the ship's deck. "You should be laying waste to the city YOU command! Striking fear into the filth and crushing them like insects under your feet!" A paw balled to a tight fist, taking care not to puncture the palm with their claws. "You should be reminding the people of this land what it means to side with your enemies! Like a TRUE KING would!"

Ahlii Parada felt his patience for this man starting to wane. For someone like this to suggest he knows what is best is the very peak of arrogance. Ahlii Parda has a low tolerance for a second such as this. "Your previous advice - the siege to the city, if I recall - ended in failure." He passively reminded him. "Aggressive tactics where the sole plan involves being direct and obvious are doomed for failure." The second man growled ferally, bearing razor sharp teeth at the arrogant leopard. Ahlii Parada folded his hands behind his back, strutting to meet the taller feline. "Swift and decisive movements beneath the cloak of misdirection is the key here." He grinned to the shore. "We know Salim is with them. And Salim knows we have his brothers. Let us test the mettle of those we employ." He chuckled. _Let us see, My Young Leopardess, who will be the one to pass the final judgement.  
_

 **To be continued.**

 **Told you it would be short!**

 **GRR! I hate this! But it was necessary.**


	19. Not a Coincidence

**Not a Coincidence**

 **Quick recap -** _ **Sly's been lost in time for months. He first appears in ancient Cairo where Slytunkhamen Cooper II appears to help him, and Penelope and the Contessa have allied themselves with Pharaoh Pardelaytra. Bentley found Murray, Carmelita, and an old friend named Alauna, and went to go get their friend back. Narrowly escaping Cairo, Slytunkhamen is unwillingly dragged along for the ride. Arriving back in the stone ages, the Cooper Gang meets up with Bob Cooper and the leopard Spot, as well as Jean Bison. Only possibly because Penelope rebuilt the time machine used by Le Paradox and has begun another time scheme. Throughout this journey, a mysterious woman called Enigma has been engaging the Cooper Gang, proving to be hazardous. Jean Bison was defeated, but not long after was the Cooper Gang whisked to ancient Arabia, meeting Salim Al Kupar, and a new threat called Ahlii Parda. Enigma has reared her head once more, and left behind a necklace Alauna recognizes.**_

 _ **Now there's the matter of recharging the van. **_

**Dagger: No need to be sorry. I replied to clarify. I wasn't offended by your comment. LOL!**

 **Guest: I know all about the movie! I'm so excited for it! Can't wait!**

 **Moving on.**

 **xxx**

Part one of Operation _Let My Van Go_ was complete. Bob, Murray, and Carmelita managed to hijack the ship the van was unfortunate enough to land on, and pushed it on the brittle gangplank to the dock. Guards arrived in a small team to intercept and thwart them. Thank goodness for Slytunkhamen and Alauna's timely intervention. The situation would have been worse for wear had they not van was secure and ready to be brought home for some much needed work. As Bentley suspected, the van's battery was completely obliterated during their last time jump. Even if he managed to find a power source with enough juice to charge the Taj Mahal, the battery wouldn't hold it for longer than five seconds. Any hope of fixing and revitalizing it would be fruitless. After the van is returned to the safe house, Bentley's priority will be constructing a second battery. Perhaps, if the famous Cooper Gang luck holds, another figure whisked from the future will have what he needs. For now, the van needed to be towed to the safehouse before Enigma or anyone else races to intervene. Which may not be long. Carmelita and Alauna were dealing with Enigma. But more guards were likely on the way. It wouldn't be a surprise if all of Arabia heard the commotion near the docks.

Bentley, from the security of the safehouse with Salim and Sly, readied his RC chopper. He created a cable similar to Penelope's old RC Chopper's. The grapple was outfitted with magnetic hooks for extra hold. He was going to need it. The sand blanketing the streets was sturdy for feet, but too loose to smoothly handle the heavy van. Originally, the chopper was sent after Slytunkhamen and Alauna to ensure their safety. And another reason that would be found very irrational should it surface.

"BENTLEY! DOWN HERE!" Bentley homed in on Murray's waving arms. He and Bob unloaded the van off the ship and were ready to start pushing. Murray shifted it into neutral, so it should make pushing it easier.

" _Hurry, Guys!_ " Bentley urged as he lowered the magnetic cable. " _My scanners are picking up guards homing in on your position!_ "

"On it!" Murray hooked it to the front bumper. He wrapped it around and set the magnet. The van was sturdy. The weight and sand shouldn't tear it off. As long as Murray and Bob keep up. With Slytunkhamen helping, the van should reach the safehouse relatively fast. Slytunkhamen remained behind when Carmelita and Alauna chased after Enigma. He hoped they were alright.

"LOOK!" Slytunkhamen gasped. Murray and Bob followed to where he was pointing. Enigma was engaged in a heated fight with Carmelita and Alauna. Carmelita was keeping her gun trained to the masked assailant while Alauna attacked her head on. "We must hurry! We cannot let this opportunity slip!"

"Way ahead of you!" Murray got behind the van, motioning for Bob to get there with him. "Ready whenever you are Bentley!"

" _Good to know! 'Cause here come the guards!_ "

Slytunkhamen spun to the walls. Ape guards hammered their knuckles sprinting in rampage for the van. Murray and Bob growled, itching to spin and face them. Slytunkhamen darted in their path. "I shall see to them! You all get the van to the safehouse! Hurry!" Slytunkhamen twirled his dual sickle canes, stooping into a stance. "NOW!" He barked, knowing they were just gawking at him. Murray and Bob dug in their heels, the Chopper poured on its booster. The van budged half an inch, then graduated into several feet at a time. No small feat, even with them both and the chopper. But it was working.

"HALT IN THE NAME OF THE SULTAN!" The first encroaching ape guard leaped into the air. He howled monstrously, throwing his huge arms into the air.

Slytunkhamen spun with a sharp gleam in his eye. He flipped his canes the other way around. In three effortless strikes he slashed the air. The flying ape guard grunted, and then crashed hard to the sand unconscious. Slytunkhamen huffed a short breath. The guard's two cohorts stopped dead in their tracks, absolutely stunned by Slytunkhamen's strength. The Egyptian Raccoon dared them with his stance to come at him. He wanted them to make his day. He was itching for a fight anyway. The last one left a sour taste in his mouth. Plus, he possessed a certain liking for bashing in the skulls of enemies. The two remaining ape guards steeled themselves. With mighty roars they hammered their knuckles to their chests, charging Slytunkhamen rampantly. The first threw a devastating punch. Slytunkhamen jumped backwards. The fist collided with the sand, throwing up a screen of dust that tingled the eye. The second broke through the screen while Slytunkhamen rubbed at his eyes. He clamped his large hand to his head, prying Slytunkhamen clean off the ground. Slytunkhamen grasped at the muscular arm. He swung his legs and connected both feet to his nose. A chilling crunch was followed by a painful howl. The ape stumbled, holding onto his bleeding nose. Slytunkhamen darted to his side. He hooked his canes to a pole and swung himself around, driving another double foot kick into the guard's side, sending him flying into baskets of fruit. The last guard came at him in a fury, hammering fists and flailing his arms. Slytunkhamen evaded the blind, boorish strikes, stepping back and luring the guard along. A drawn back punch flew for Slytunkhamen's head. He bent all the way back. The fist broke through a stone wall. The firm stone trapped him. Slytunkhamen ran up his body, he flipped backwards. A clean slice of his cane cut free a wooden platform stacked with bags of sand. The ape guard grimaced. This would hurt. The heavy load dropped on him, and it ended in a cloud of dust. Slytunkhamen stood to the roof ledge he landed on, panting heavily from his revving adrenaline. He won't deny it. He was proud of himself.

An agonized howl caught Slytunkhamen's ear. He was horrified to see Enigma flying over the wall's edge. She plummeted for what would have been a nasty landing. Luck favored her as she landed in a passing cart of hay. Looking up, Carmelita and Alauna proved to be the victors. Still, Enigma lives. Her threat was a great one to let escape. Slytunkhamen was tempted to race to see if he could catch her. But Murray and Bob needed his help. And he was asked to safeguard the van with them.

Murray, Bob, and the Chopper are proving to be faster and stronger than initially advertised. Slytunkhamen wasn't anchored by the three guards for too long, but already the van was a quarter of the way to the hideout. The sand being replaced by the stone circle of the Elephant Square was a great boon to them. Unfortunately, fate was being cruel that day. From three different directions, monitor lizard and Siamese Cat guards ambushed Murray and Bob, trapping at the fountain of the Elephant Statue. The hideout was just on the other side of the arch, where the beach side nested. They were so close. The guards made it stretch another mile. Bob and Murray weren't opposed to fighting. But if the guards got too close or the battle too out of hand, the van could be damaged or the Chopper's cable could be snapped. Then the van would never make it.

"Oh man! Not now!" Murray snarled. "We're so close! Bentley!" He howled to the Chopper.

" _I had to remove my chopper's weapons for the cable!_ " Bentley meekly laughed, starting to regret the decision. " _Sorry guys!_ " Murray and Bob bonked their foreheads to the van. Bentley chose the worst times to make upgrades. This explains the banging they heard last night.

"/Looks like we're on our own, Murray./" Bob snarled.

"Looks like."

The guards cackled menacingly. The sun highlighted the sharp ridge of the cats swords as they were crossed overhead. The blades grinding rhythmically, sharpening to their zenith. The monitor lizard loaded their gas tanks to the brim, ready to unleash a monstrous payload. Bob and Murray grimaced, slowly parting from van to intercept them.

Slytunkhamen leaped from the roof to the book of the statue, then dove a successful strike to one of the lizards. The cat beside him was startled off guard. Her strike came sloppily for Slytunkhamen's neck. He easily swatted her swords from her hands, and subdued her with a cane jab to her stomach. The fastest route to the hideout was cleared.

"AHM/EN!" Bob and Murray gasped.

"Don't stop now! We are almost at our mark!" Slytunkhamen encouraged. The few remaining guards hissed at his arrival. "Bentley, my friend! Heave!"

" _R-Right!_ " A jet of flames roared from the chopper's tiny engine. The cable was tugged, jerking the van. Murray and Bob returned to their positions, pouring their strength to their legs and arms.

"STOP THEM! THEY MUST NOT ESCAPE!" A siamese cat howled. The guards charged.

"YOU WON'T STOP US!" Slytunkhamen howled.

 **xxx**

Enigma was defeated. For the moment, anyway. Alauna's kick to her neck yielded a profound result that may leave her crippled. But it wasn't life threatening. Enigma would recover and come after them again. However, her inevitable return was not on either Alauna or Carmelita's mind. Just before Enigma's tumble over the edge, she had dropped a pendant Alauna would swear was buried with a good friend four years ago. Why Enigma would have it...frightened Alauna to speculate. Carmelita, on the other hand, was red with rage at who Alauna's lost friend turned out to be.

"NEYLA?!" Carmelita shrill roar echoed for miles. "That traitor was your friend?!"

"More than that, I'm afraid." Alauna wiggled a finger in her ear. She didn't think it possible. Carmelita's more annoying when she yells. "When I was a girl of 10, my grandparents passed this family treasure unto me. A sigil for spreading my wings, and soaring to the heights they sought for my parents."

"Your grandparents taught you how to be a Bounty Hunter?" Carmelita derided the poor choice of teachings.

"Amongst other things, yes." She proudly admitted. She parted the pieces. "When I was 14, I befriended a girl whom I grew to care for like a sister."

"Constable Neyla…" Carmelita rumbled. She utilizes a sense of foresight and clairvoyance when working, and shows a method to the madness she immerses herself in. Yet her choice of companions proves a lacking judgement. Just Carmelita's luck.

"Us against the world, it was. Even when my parents left, she stayed." She softened, placing the charm to her heart. Her cheeks flushed in adulation. The warmth was enough to draw a tear to her eye. A cold glare directed at Carmelita put her on edge. Her hand moved for her gun. "Then she joined Interpol and suddenly our friendship was strained!"

"Don't you dare blame me for her!" Carmelita bared her teeth.

"I don't blame anyone for HER, Carmelita! Least of all you!" She gripped her elbows, retreating back a couple paces. "I only blame myself!"

"Why?!"

"Because…" Her ears drooped. "Because I let Neyla feel like she was worthless." Carmelita was taken aback by the confession. She half expected Alauna to bite her tongue and dismiss her. _Why is she being so forthcoming?_ "She was the first person I told when I befriended Sly, Murray, and Bentley. And she hated it." Her shoulders sank. Her tail wrapped to her waist. "She never quite shared why she hated the Cooper Gang. She just did."

"Why...why are you sharing this with me?" Carmelita's throat dried.

"Because if Neyla has returned, you and I will be the one main ones bothered." She stroked a wound Enigma managed to leave on her side. "She's already labeled us as her primary targets, after all."

"Did you know what Neyla was?" Carmelita pressed hard. She braved the gap and startled Alauna by shaking her shoulders. "Did you know she was a member of the Klaww Gang? That she was a traitor?"

"N-NO! Not…" Alauna steadied herself, prying Carmelita's hands off of her. "Not...initially! I wasn't aware of her joining the Klaww Gang until after…" Her mouth ran dry. Carmelita hummed roughly. Alauna wasn't allowed to stop there. She lowered her head, hiding a gleaming shame glossing her eyes, "Until...after...I heard of Sly, Murray, and your arrest."

Carmelita balled her hands into fists. She'll never forget the day Neyla threw her under the bus to The Contessa. The day he true colors emerged, and a stain forever followed her on her seemingly immaculate record. "Did...did Sly know…?" Carmelita trailed off sheepishly. The surface Alauna was leading her one was already fragile. She feared breaking the common ground.

"That Neyla was my friend? Yeah." It wasn't the easiest thing to tell him either. Not after what she did. "I told him and the others after they escaped The Contessa's prison. Needless to say, none of them took it well." Not that she expected them to. Neyla was their confidant. A fellow thief in disguise as a law abiding citizen. And she betrayed them. "Bentley contacted me and asked for a place to hide them. That's when I told them who Neyla was."

"She couldn't have liked that." Carmelita smugly retorted.

"She didn't." Alauna admitted indifferently. "When she learned of my harboring them, she threatened to execute me."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing at first. There was nothing I could do." Rather, there was nothing she wanted to do. She foolishly held on to a blind faith that Neyla would put her own selfish agenda aside - whatever it was - and befriend The Cooper Gang as she has. "Neyla was progressively growing more hostile toward them. So I offered to assassinate her." Horror slithered to Carmelita. Her blood turned to ice. The cold expression huing her face, the monotone in her voice as she admitted to wanting to kill a friend. Carmelita was at a loss for words. "I told Sly, without a blink, that I would end her. Make her pay for siding with that blasted parrot!" _Parrot?_ Alauna must have meant Arpeggio. _She knew Arpeggio?_ "He wouldn't hear of it."

"He chose to handle her." Carmelita crossed her arms.

"He said he didn't want me to know what it's like to take the life of a friend." She snorted. Such a kind hearted fool the raccoon is. "That's Sly, for you." She bounced her shoulders.

"We have to tell him and the others about Neyla." Carmelita declared.

"No." Alauna hooked her arm, stopping her from moving another inch.

"Why not?" Carmelita huffed.

"There isn't any proof."

"Proof of what? That Enigma is Neyla?" Carmelita snatched the pendant, dangling it roughly in front of her. "This is all the proof you need."

Alauna gritted her teeth, snatching the pedant and stuffing it in her chest. "Penelope could have easily stumbled upon this and placed it on anyone!"

"That's a stretch!" A LONG stretch. Penelope and Alauna weren't properly acquainted. By Bentley's own admission, Penelope and Alauna barely knew each other. Even while Bentley dated her, Alauna didn't necessarily invite Penelope along for a girl's day out. There is no possible way she would be able to replicate the pendant, or would go through so much trouble for an imposter.

"Stretch or not, I will not get my hopes up! I can't!"

"Why can't you accept it IS her?"

"BECAUSE I CAN'T BEAR TO LOSE HER TWICE!" Her words echoed in Carmelita's heart and mind. Alauna bit her lip hard, fighting back the overwhelming sadness bouncing her shoulders. "I can't...Carmelita! Don't you understand! When I was 14, Neyla was all I had! Sure, I had my grandparents, but they were constantly gone except when they wanted to train me!" She nearly forgot what they looked like from time to time. "Neyla kept me sane, and healed the pain of my parents abandoning me!" She folded her hands to her aching chest, "When she died…" She closed her eyes. The nightmarish chains of seclusion bound her, dragging her to the darkest depths of sorrow. The darkness that clouded her, and brought on a madness she fears to unleash still makes her quake in fear. "Let's just say three months is a long time to avoid someone."

"You avoided Sly, Murray, and Bentley?" Carmelita gasped. She can't imagine it. Alauna avoiding the Cooper Gang.

"I had to. Part of me hated them for what they did." Later, she hated herself for doing what she wanted to do initially. The problem is...Alauna might not have done it. "And I couldn't accept Neyla hated them so much she would die trying to kill them."

"Alauna…" Carmelita approached, reaching to touch her shoulder.

"I don't want your pity." She pushed the hand away. She doesn't need anyone's pity. "I just want you to keep this from Sly. Just for now." She pleaded. _Until I confirm with my own eyes that Enigma is Neyla..._

 **xxx**

"Yes...yes…" Bentley's fingers heatedly played at the Chopper's controls. He risked overloading the chopper's engine in order to expedite the van's return to the safehouse. The cable suffered extreme punishment from dragging the dead van. Were it not for Murray and Bob pushing, things would be moving at a much slower pace. "Just a little bit more, guys! Hang in there!" He encouraged. He kept to himself how nervous the encroaching guards made him.

From the camera on the underside, he was able to monitor Murray, Bob, and Slytunkhamen's progress. Murray and Bob were basically running on fumes helping the chopper lug the van. Every so often they were forced to abandon pushing in order to sucker punch a guard into the next alley. The number of guards seemed to remain steady. The second Slytunkhamen intercepted one, another arrived to replace him. True to the Cooper name, Slytunkhamen was relentless fending them off. He held no quarter defending the van and his friends. If those three kept up this pace, the van would be home in no time. Then Bentley can begin working.

 _SNAP!_ "No…!" Bentley's live video feed was spinning wildly out of control. _CRASH!_ Static consumed the image. "OH NO!" Bentley wailed. Sly drowsily toppled from a bannister in the hideout. Salim's face peeled from a bowl of tapioca pudding. The pair cleaned the sleep out of their eyes. Being left behind to watch the hideout was never fun. The two Coopers decided to take a nap, only to be woken up by Bentley ten minutes later. He was wildly shaking his RC controller, pounding away at buttons. Salim and Sly didn't like the looks of this. "Oh man! This is bad! This is really bad!" Bentley howled. The Coopers liked the sound of that even less. The operation took a dramatically bad turn. And on the final stretch.

"What's going on, Bentley?!" Sly asked anxiously. He's being kept in the safehouse, he can't handle being kept in the dark too.

"One of the guards cut the cable to my RC chopper and it went flying out of control and crashed!" He slammed his controller down, realizing the futility in trying to recover it. Penelope would kill him if she knew. She helped him improve on the chopper.

"What of Murray, Bob, and Slytunkhamen?!" Salim pleaded to him.

"From what I can tell, they cleared the Elephant Square and were on their way here!" That was one heck of a fight too. Slytunkhamen was a real trooper. Guards just kept coming for the van left and right. Murray and Bob held nothing back pushing the van. "But that's all I saw before my chopper crashed and burned." It's going to take him weeks to rebuild it from scratch.

"We must hurry to their aid!" Salim advocated.

"Right!" Sly nodded.

" _LOSER IN THE HOLE!_ " Murray's voice howled.

An ape guard became stuck in the small window. Stars orbited his head. Salim, Sly, and Bentley blinked aghast, exchanging bewildered stares. The ape shook himself out of his daze. His blurring, swirling vision cleared. Incidentally, the use of his arms was out of the question. Bentley waved innocently to the trapped guard, and pointed above him. The guard arched a brow and looked up. He cringed dreadfully. Salim and Sly chuckled menacingly, suspending their canes over his head. The ape chuckled nervously, putting on his brightest and most innocent smile. The cane's cracked on his skull, tolling like a dong. The ape was seeing birds this time. Salim and Sly shook hands. Teamwork does make a dream work.

Loud grunts and groans mewled outside, accompanied by languorous dragging sounds. Salim, Sly, and Bentley prepared for another fight. Let whatever fool who dares to challenge them step forth. The hideout curtains parted. The trio tensed. Bob and Murray stumbled dizzily in, collapsing dead on their stomachs in dripping sweat. Salim, Bentley, and Sly blinked surprised that it was them. They sounded like a savage camel. Slytunkhamen came limping in behind, throwing himself onto his back on the toppled pair. Those three were a right mess.

"Guys!" Bentley sped around. Salim and Sly helped Slytunkhamen onto a stretch of pillows. Murray, Bob, and Slytunkhamen had no breath left in them. "Are you guys okay? What happened?" The trio moaned dazedly, stretching shaky fingers to the outside. Sly, Salim, and Bentley poked their heads outside. There was the van. Recovered and no worse than when they left it. Piled and scattered around it were a compilation of unconscious guards who tried to stop them. "And to think I was worried about THEM!" Bentley pointed a thumb to their winded friends. Salim and Sly shrugged with sarcastic indifference saying, _how silly of us!_ "Now we just need Carmelita and Alauna to return so we can plot our next move."

"You rang?" Carmelita and Alauna appeared from around the van. "Quite a mess, Bentley. You party without us?" Alauna teased.

"It got pretty wild. What can I say?" He retorted. He was adorable when he was snide.

The girls entered the safehouse, amazed by Bob, Murray, and Slytunkhamen being down for the count. Nothing was more surprising than the unconscious ape guard plugging the window. "Don't mind him." Salim urged them. "We wanted a throw rug to complement the drab space…" He lifted the guard by the chin, "Got the wrong shade of hideous."

A light bulb burst and Alauna's eyes dilated with the ultimate discovery. "THERE IT IS!" She squealed.

"There what is?" Salim tilted his head.

"Oh nothing!" She giggled. _Sly's unique dry sense of humor!_ Salim emulates it perfectly. "I take it your mission was a success." She addressed the stirring Slytunkhamen. He was familiar with the gesture of lifting one's thumb in good news. "Glad to hear it!"

"What about Enigma?" Sly moved the comics aside for serious. Alauna's stomach knotted.

Carmelita contritely shook her head. "We lost her when she fell off the wall." A well timed cart of hay spared her from death. A grace for Alauna. Carmelita, however, would not have minded so much. "She took a harsh blow, but we doubt she's down for the count."

"Why did you not pursue her?!" Salim aggressively pressed them. "She could have led you to the rest of my brothers!"

"Or she could have led us into a trap!" Carmelita bit back. "By the time we reached her, Enigma was packing up to make a run for it!" Salim spread his hands, shaking his head not comprehending her point. Carmelita growled irritably. The Coopers seem to share a lack of forethought in pursuits. Would explain how they get captured so often. She showed him the dart Alauna cut in half when Enigma appeared. "This dart was the one Enigma fired at Alauna. It's covered in a toxin that would cause instant paralysis." Before returning to the hideout, Carmelita collected the dart and tested the toxin on a crab. Alauna's glad she intercepted it. "Enigma isn't stupid! She aimed for Alauna on purpose! She wouldn't have lingered for us to follow if it was an assassination attempt!"

"She was trying to weaken our ranks!" Slytunkhamen blurted, coughing on his burning lungs. "Which explains the guards arriving almost instantly."

"Precisely!" Carmelita was glad someone was keeping up. "This wasn't a spur of the moment attack!" She threw the dart away. "This was a planned strike. Otherwise none of this would have been this easy."

 _EASY!_ Salim screamed in his mind. Apparently the younger generation's definition of _easy_ differs greatly from his. Recovering a dead chariot from a ship out in the middle of the ocean, combatting guards and assassins while pushing the chariot to safety, and losing a flying contraption in the heat of the moment was EASY? What do they consider difficult? If a family of ducklings waddled in the middle of the road and they had to take the long way around?

"Then these guards weren't attacking." Sly stated sternly. "They were testing us." Murray, Bob, and Slytunkhamen cringed out of their stupor. Bentley, Carmelita, and Alauna shared dislike of the grim outcome. "Either we're out of their league…"

"Or another attack is imminent." Alauna muttered.

"I...have to agree." Slytunkhamen tapped his wrapped beard. Salim was astonished to hear him say that. "This may sound strange, but the guards did not seem to put much effort into their attack." Alauna nodded in agreement. Enigma was holding back greatly. Salim growled in the back of his throat. This was madness. "Bear with me a moment. Salim, you and your brothers stated manpower was lessened in your pursuit, and then the city came under siege?"

"Yes." Salim's impatience frothed.

"That doesn't make sense." Slytunkhamen reiterated slowly, allowing Salim a moment to process. "You don't give up the chase for someone, then lay siege to your city in order to find them." Salim's fury subsided with reason. That didn't make sense in the slightest.

"That HAD to have been nothing more than a ploy to lure Salim out." Bentley confirmed.

"A ploy that was thwarted when we intervened." Alauna added grimly.

"Which prompted Enigma to appear." Carmelita concluded. "And she hasn't appeared without one of our _friends_ at her back."

"And our running about the time streams isn't exactly a secret." Bentley dawned the frightening reality on them. "After Bison, I wouldn't be surprised if we're being expected in other places in history." Everyone nodded unanimously. It made perfect sense, which was frightening. "Someone's backing Ahlii Parda just like Contessa was for Pardelaytra. And that someone is perfectly aware that we're here."

"How are you certain Ahlii Parda did not simply call his men back without the aid of those from your era?" Salim proposed, wanting his young friends to cover all areas of possibility. Jumping to conclusions now is far too dangerous.

"We don't." Alauna was forced to agree. Chills scaled her skin. The cold hard eyes of Ahlii Parda tormented her. Often, she feels them on her back. "Ahlii Parda...he's different. Frightening. Cold. Calculating." Her tail spasmed uncontrollably. She glanced to Salim, "He could have killed us. Yet he spared us." Salim can't forget it. Ahlii Parda outmatched them both. Eliminating them would have been easier than drinking a glass of camel milk. "He wasn't at all surprised by me or my weapons. I think it's safe to say...he was expecting us." No matter the plan, there was a common result being sought. "There's a greater plan afoot. Ahlii Parda is at the forefront, while a present day enemy is backing him."

"All for Salim…" Sly hummed. _Cooper quirks,_ puzzled his mind. Bison positively confirmed Penelope was after talents only notorious to the Cooper Family. The millipedes placed to Slytunkhamen's head and Bob's are designed to siphon that knowledge clean from their skulls. Slytunkhamen lost the ability to turn invisible, a famous ability in the Thievius Raccoonus. The millipede only failed on Bob due to him not developing a unique skill. Salim's skill… "The Cobra Climb is your own unique skill, right?"

"Why do you ask?" Salim itched his mustache.

"The Cobra Climb?" Alauna tilted her head.

"Salim is capable shooting up poles, chains, or ropes at remarkable speeds." Salim puffed his chest proudly in his descendants praise. "That has to be what the fuss is about!" Salim was baffled by his meaning. "Whoever Ahlii Parda has at his back, they want what's in your head."

"Minus the cobwebs." Alauna snorted.

"How rude!" He snarled. The young leopardess' insolence was beginning to wear on his nerves. "Hold on a moment…" Something was bothering him. What was said earlier. "If the siege was intended to lure me out...why capture the rest of my brothers."

"Capturing your brothers is only insurance." Alauna feared to tell him. "If all else fails, he's going to cash in one way or another."

"My brothers are in danger!" Salim panicked. "We have to free them before that happens!"

"We need to learn where they are first!" Bentley slowed him down. He was jumping too far ahead. "And something tells me we're going to need the van for this." Again with that blasted chariot. Salim wanted to rip it apart. His brothers are in danger, and they are all more concerned with that blasted vehicle.

"Then it appears we must split priorities." Alauna proposed strongly. Salim felt his rage quelling at her words. Alauna stroked her chin thoughtfully. She glanced to Bentley who shared in the predicament. The two exchanged nods. There's only one thing to do. But first, Bentley must assess the damage of the battery. He has a feeling he's going to need a brand new one.

 **xxx**

"HEY! YOU! WAKE UP!" A very angry Panther Merchant viciously jerked his hay cart. The unconscious and masked body of Enigma wiggled lifelessly. Hay straws shuffled over her in a thin sheet. The Panther Merchant growled ferally. His canines close to puncturing his lip. The hay in his cart was prime Alfalfa imported from lands yet to be named by modern maps. The perfect blend of herbs and nutrients are imbedded in those thin straws. Ample enough to help with digestion, and improve the metabolism. No better sustenance for pregnant mares existed anywhere. And this sleeping woman was sullying the minor batch he managed to acquire with her foul body particulates. It will be worth nothing when he resells it! "Wake up now or I raise the guards!" He howled again.

"There is no call for such hastiness, friend." The merchant whipped around in a rage. A pouch of coins placed in his hands seem to calm the savage beast. "This should compensate you well for your troubles." He ached a perplexed brow at the cloaked stranger before him. Only piercing golden eyes were discernable. "My only request is that you leave without further incident."

The Merchant bounced the coin, weighing the options given. He inspected the dinari. They were legitimate. Purest gold fit for the sultan's treasury. A quick bite to them proved their worth. "I have already forgotten what has transpired, sir." The merchant chuckled. "I was just on my way for a bit of camel racing."

"Good." The stranger approved. The merchant completely abandoned his cart, skipping off singing of his fortune. The stranger removed his hood. Ahlii Parda's ears flicked straight up. He snickered as he glanced to the unconscious assassin. She, like the guards left scattered about the town, was left battered by the associates of Salim. Just as he planned they would be. "Quite the team you have assembled, Salim. What will be your next move, I wonder…" He laughed darkly.

 **xxx**

(Chalk Talk)

" _Alright, guys! Time to get a move on before we fall further behind!"_ Bentley pinched the CT logo on his tablet, spreading open his latest blueprint. First came an image van. The hood was popped open. _"The van must be repaired. There's no getting around it._ " He swiped the picture aside, using a chained Panther, Tiger, and Lion as examples of his next skit, _"But Salim's brothers may not have a lot of time!"_ The rescued trio couldn't believe he saved that photo of them. " _So here's what we're gonna have to do..._ " The opened van returned to center screen. The battery was circled. " _The battery is trashed because of the stress of the sudden jumps we've made! So I'll have to make another one. Luckily..._ " Bentley poked the screen, expanding images of familiar music boxes he left behind, " _I happened to stumble upon the signature of the music boxes I used to drive Ms. Decibel nuts in her old study above the library. They are perfect for the new battery._ " He changed the pictures to Salim scaling ropes. " _Salim, I'm going to need your help again in retrieving them._ "

" _Oh goodie! Climbing! My favorite..._ " He complained raspily.

" _Yep. I see it now._ " Alauna snorted.

" _See what?!_ "

" _Nothing at all._ "

" _ANYWAY..._ " Bentley intervened on the approaching argument, " _While Salim and I retrieve the boxes,_ " A bird's eye view of the city was net on the tablet, " _Sly, I need you, Ahmen, Alauna, and Carmelita to troll the streets,"_ He marked locations with X's, _"And go to four taverns guards are known to relax at after a hard day's work._ "

" _What do trolls have to do with stalking the guards?_ " Salim commented.

" _Nevermind! Guards talk to each other about everything and anything. One of them has to know where your brothers are being held._ " Salim approved of the plan and let his inquiry go unanswered. " _We may even learn who it is Ahlii Parda is receiving aid from._ " A shadowed figure occupied the screen, containing a huge question mark. " _Him and Salim's brothers are our primary objective. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you guys to stay on your toes._ "

" _Don't worry, Pal. We've got this._ " Sly reassured him.

" _Agreed._ " Slytunkhamen inserted himself. " _We will not fail._ "

" _Then let' get to work._ " Bentley declared.

(Chalk Talk end)

 **xxx**

"Enigma…?" A tender voice hummed. A palm gently cupped the slumbering assassin's cheek, rustling the hay she has yet to rouse from. "Awaken, Enigma. We must talk." Enigma groaned dazedly. Her cheeks and brow were able to be seen twitching under her heavy mask. Her green eyes fluttered open. The blurred world gradually came into focus. Golden eyes were the first to flood her vision. The rest of Ahlii Parda's hooded face soon traced itself. An ominous smile stretched his lips. "Welcome back to the land of the living, My Dear." He purred.

Enigma groaned, feeling stiffness in her muscles. She turned over to one side. Ahlii Parda helped her sit up in the hay, easing a hand to her back so she wouldn't' fall. The haze dissipated from her groggy mind. Her eyes moved wearily side to side. Horses and camels occupied a majority of the area she was in. As she allowed herself to process her surroundings, she was stunned to find she was brought to a horse stable.

"I dared not move you, so I moved you to where you could recuperate in peace." Ahlii Parda chortled.

Enigma growled in the back of her throat. So you bring me to a stable?!" She snarled. The muscles tightened in her neck. She flew into a heaving fit of dry coughs. She clawed at the needles of straw clinging to her. "And you leave me in this putrid pile of hay!"

"You are quite the difficult person to wake." Ahlii Parda stepped aside. Enigma stumbled as she slid off, dusting feverishly at the straw. "I trust your encounter with The Cooper Gang was fruitful."

"Depends on what you mean by fruitful!" She seemed to not learn her throat wasn't able to handle high exertions of volume. "Being kicked off the wall wasn't the plan!"

"So long as valuable information is gathered," Enigma shied as he crept a hand to her head, sliding a pinch of straw free, "The ending results can be ignored." He flicked the straw, bouncing it off her fuming face. "While more can still be ascertained, I have learned just how thick the blood of thieves runs." He folded his hands behind his back, meandering out of the stable. Enigma ogled him confused. "And I will be ready for them this time."

 **xxx**

 **(Mission 1 - Split/Joint Operation)**

The Cooper Gang waited until the next morning to initiate Bentley's plan. Er...plans. The guards were pretty antsy after yesterday's beating. And after Murray and Bob regained enough strength to pile their friends on a small row boat and send them floating without paddles in the middle of the ocean. Bentley assembled the team outside. He tossed the demolished battery to the sand. It was enough to make Murray burst into tears. Bob pat him on the back comforting him. Bentley was contrite that Murray had to see his van be taken apart, but it was the only way to ensure he had little opposition when putting it back together.

"We all remember the plan?" Bentley checked.

"Yeah." Sly nodded. "The four of us need to get the low down about the kidnapped thieves and Ahlii Parda's partner." Carmelita and Slytunkhamen nodded firmly. "We need to hit up the taverns guards frequent and listen in on them."

"To do that effectively, we will need to hide in plain sight." Alauna proposed. "A good hunter doesn't hide in his surroundings. He becomes part of it." The guards will be looking for sneaky, skulking, and mysterious ne'er do wells lurking in the shadows.

"Meanwhile, Salim and I will return to Ms. Decibel's study." Salim nodded affirmingly to Bentley. "With any luck, we'll be able to get the music boxes and I can begin working on constructing a battery."

"ENOUGH CHATTER!" Salim waved his hands crazily. "My brothers and your van will not be saved with us standing here chatting!" He antsily strafed in the direction of the library, dragging Bentley's chair. "WE-MUST-HURRY!"

"UGH! HOLD IT! STOP PULLING!" Bentley protested, holding on for dear life. "CALL WHEN YOU GUYS ARE FINISHED! SALIM!" Bentley argued with Salim well after they disappeared into the village.

Murray and the others shrugged their hands. They can't blame Salim. Any one of them would be as anxious if their friends were in trouble. "Okay guys, we know our targets." Sly encouraged Carmelita, Alauna, and Slytunkhamen. "Good luck."

"See you soon." Slytunkhamen waved, darting along the beach. Carmelita and Alauna ran into the village. Sly used the roof tops.

 **xxx**

Guard presence increased since the day before. The guards patrolled the streets in heavy numbers. Lizard, Cat, and Mandril scouring the streets back to back and side to side. The entire city must have been on high alert. Everyone and their mothers looking for Salim and his comrades. The slightest crack of a twig by a rat put the guards on the offensive. The rats would throw their paws in the air, sprinkling their fleas that also three their tiny legs in the air in surrender. Unfortunately, the unease created by the aggressive lawmen wasn't limited to the rodents and their fleas. No felt safe enough to breathe without having a scimitar placed at their necks.

Bentley and Salim watched from a shop's sign as guards covered the Elephant Square. One band of three would leave, and two more would replace them. The front door to the library was completely blocked off with wooden planks. It was labeled as _condemned._ The only way in was from the balcony of the old study Salim used last time. Although, Bentley had no way of getting inside. Not without being spotted.

"Guess we really must have spooked these guys." Bentley muttered grudgingly. "Security's tighter since yesterday."

"How do you plan to get us both inside?" Salim drummed his fingers on his folded arms. "I can most definitely climb in like last time," He pointed to the blocked door, "But I sincerely doubt prying the door open won't cause us trouble later."

"You are correct, Salim! Precisely why," Bentley's chair's mech arm produced a new and improved grapple cam, "This little beauty is going to open that door for us. We'll just be in charge of getting upstairs."

"Impressive." Salim poked the small device. Not as impressive as Bentley's larger toys. But he found them to resemble their owner. Very misleadingly dangerous. "Another one of your non-insect devices?"

"Not quite." Salim was close though. Closer than he was last time. "This is called a grapple cam. With it, I'll be able to project my voice through it and get the guards to follow it."

"How is that going to open the door?" Salim itched under his turban.

"Just watch and be amazed."

Bentley tossed the grapple cam to the street. He activated the camera feed from the holographic computer equipped to his chair. The feed was coming in clean and smooth. Bentley aimed the circulating crosshairs to the elephant statue. The grapple launched, hooking firmly to the elephant's ear. The camera whisked to the ear. The shift in the air brushed two passing Mandrills' backs. Nothing was there. Bentley edged the camera around the ear, bringing it to the back of the statue. The front door was in his sights. As was a hole just big enough to fit the camera. Bentley aimed carefully, waited for a gap in the guard's' ranks, watched for any prying eyes, and launch. The grappler hooked well inside the small entry. The camera whisked along, disappearing inside the door with no hassles.

"PHEW!" Salim and Bentley wiped nervous sweat off their brows. Too close for comfort. "Alright! The hard part was over!" Again, Salim continues to wonder how different the english language has become in the future. Getting that tiny device inside that hole felt like the easy part. "Now watch this!" A microphone sprouted from the chair rest.

A mandrill tromped lazily in front of the library. He hated getting the guard shifts. Nothing exciting ever happens. And he totally missed out on being part of the siege. Head cold chose the worst time to strike.

" _HEY FATTY!_ " The mandril forze. He twisted left to right. No one was near him, and his fellow guards were marching around. He itched his head, then shrugged it off. " _YO! UGLY! OVER HERE!_ " He paused mid stride, and spun angrily to the door. He definitely heard it that time. " _Yeah you! With the low self esteem! Come over to this position!_ " The Mandrill growled venomously. His knuckles and feet shook the ground as he marched over. Two monitor lizards were curious why he was diverting off track and went over to investigate with him.

Salim gawked wide mouthed. He left a pile of cotton swabs from cleaning the disbelief from his ears. Bentley was sitting right beside him. He was not an illusion. Yet his voice coming clear across the square from the other side of the door. And he thought the strange spy glasses with moving images of themselves were a work of wonders.

The Mandrill and Lizards corralled at the door, grunting heatedly and flipping over the scattered pillows for the impertinent jokester. " _You're seriously bad at this! I mean it!_ " The voice was coming from the other side of the bolted door. The threesome were confused by how this could be. There was no way any person can get inside. " _Your mother was so used and worn out, scarabs die from contamination!_ "

"WHAT?!" The Mandrill towered on his hind legs, roaring animally and pounding at his chest. Guards within the vicinity heard him, racing to figure out what was wrong. The Lizard's ducked for cover. The mandrill pride the planks apart and rammed his full body through the door. Dust and stale air met him, but were easily ignored. "WHEN I FIND YOU, I WILL TURN YOU INTO TOOTHPICKS!" He ran rampant through the ground level. A cluster of guards swarmed in after him. Most were unsure who or what they were looking for, and were informed of an intruder.

Bentley and Salim crept to the busted door. Seeing the door reduced to splinters made them shiver unnerved. The guards are ready to do that to them if they find them. The immediate rooms were being torn apart by the guards. Plants, desks, books, and candlesticks were thrown and shattered. The mandrills and cats clawed their way to a second level and were demolishing it as well. Something tells Salim and Bentley they'd be far more cordial if the circumstances were different.

"Guess Ahlii Parda isn't taking prisoners with us." Bentley gulped anxiously.

"Then let us proceed before they beat us upstairs!" Salim urged.

Salim tiptoed inside, ducking behind planters lining the walls. Bentley wheeled behind him. A pot thrown toward the plants shattered on the wall and sprinkled onto them. Aged dirt poured into Salim's clothes, and Bentley's shell. It'll take hours to get it out. Coming to the stairs, Salim checked and found the corridor mildly empty. He motioned Bentley along, stalking up the stairs. The pair bent as low as they could go below the stairwell wall. Loud bangs, crashes, and shouts made their hearts skip a beat. The library was going to crumble by the time they got out.

"I don't see him anywhere!"

"I know someone was in here!"

"Maybe he's upstairs!"

Bentley and Salim froze. A small delusional voice in their minds prayed there were another set of stairs. The hurried footsteps darting for them knotted their stomachs. Bentley grabbed Salim and dragged him into the nearest corridor. The guards were gaining on them, and the next hallway was a distance away. Salim spotted a door. He pried it open, threw Bentley in and slammed it. Lanterns shined down the corridor, narrowly missing the door closing. Salim and Bentley clamped hands over the other's mouth. Neither one dared to breath or move. They could heard the guards yelling for the others to search every nook and cranny. The floors reverberated as they stampeded past the closet. The idea one of them would wise up and pop the door open filled their bladders. As the noise decreased, Salim and Bentley started to relax. Being able to breathe again was heavenly. That doesn't change the fact they were still trapped. The guards had likely swarmed the second floor. Salim and Bentley needed a new method.

"Bentley…" Salim found a cupboard door.

Opening it, a pulley rope was connected to a thick wooden slab. Bentley and Salim piled on. They were careful with closing the small door. A Mandril slammed the door open, scoped the closet, and then left. It took a bit of teamwork, but eventually Salim and Bentley came to the closet of the third floor. Less crowded in that one. The door squeaked open. The coast was clear for now. And the study was past the atrium at the end of the hallway.

"Would this be one of those instances where you consider our entry _easy_?" Salim remarked irately. Bentley raised a brow at him. "Because that was far from easy, if you ask me!" He pressed on his back and cracked it. He was getting too old for these sorts of missions.

"And we aren't done yet." Bentley commented grimly, rolling down the hall. Salim was afraid he would say that. He trailed languorously behind him. "We still need to get the boxes OUT and back to the safehouse." By the very definition, that was going to be tricky. The guards will no doubt find their way to the library before they know it. The front door won't be an escape option. "I hope the guys are having a smoother time than us."

"Perhaps you should call them and check." Salim proposed. No shame in being concerned for one's allies.

"Nah. If I do that, Sly and Alauna will never let me live it down!" He groaned dreadfully. Salim's brow furrowed at Alauna's name. "Ooh! Alauna might call me Worrywart Bentley again!" That's a month of his life he's overjoyed is years over.

 _Alauna. The Leopard._ Salim growled in his mind. Bentley, Sly, and Murray vest a lot of faith in her. As do Bob and Slytunkhamen. Two of whom Salim is aware has encountered their fair share of Leopard depravity. She who proudly admits to hunting others for the sake of profit. The cold, depraved stare which she uses to snare her foes is unmistakeable of her true nature. She may deny it all she wishes, she can claim she fights for a cause that is not her own - Leopards do not, and cannot, change their spots! And her spots align to the of Ahlii Parda. OF THAT Salim is confident.

"You are an intelligent young man. Honest as well." Salim remarked upon Bentley.

"I'd like to think so." Bentley shrugged his shoulders. The comment was as out of the blue as it gets. He wasn't sure how to respond.

"Do you think the same of me?"

"Of course. Except for the young part." Bentley bounced his brow playfully.

"Good. Then we can converse as two intelligent and honest men." Salim replied seriously, leering to the ground. Bentley's playful retort felt like a disrespectful stab. He nibbled on his lower lip, squeezing the arms of his chair. He flinched when Salim locked hard eyes onto him. "Your friend, Alauna." Ice prickled Bentley's skin. His heart pounded at his chest. "You do not buy for a second her resemblance to Ahlii Parda is coincidence." Bentley's fingers tangled in his wheel spokes, being crushed in the bars. He yelped in pain, stopping to cradle them. Salim casually stopped, not allowing the brief pain to digress the topic. "I am correct, it would seem." Bentley cradled his hand, closing his arms in a small shield. In his mind he wished for Salim to stop. "Then I am also correct in stating the ones you encountered previously also share her features."

"What are you getting at, Salim?" Bentley blurted agitated. _What do you want me to say,_ is what he meant to ask. Yes, their best friend in the world resembles notorious leopard of the ancient past? Yes, they have noticed they bear a lot of the same physical features? What did Salim want from them?

"I thought we agreed to speak as open and honest men." Salim rumbled.

"Not when one of the men is holding a grudge against my best friend because of a coincidence!" Salim's disdain for Alauna has not gone unnoticed. Her being a leopard has rubbed him the wrong way since they crossed paths. He's gone so far as to attack her, and has declared unwavering rancor for her.

"Come now! Do you honestly think it a mere coincidence?" Salim guffawed. He has worked alongside Bentley for too long to buy into him being so naive. "Ahlii Parda did not express interest in her because of her personality!"

"Hey now!" He was going to stop him right there. "I can admit, Allie is the most jaded person I know, and she is quite scary when riled…and hard to get along with at first!" There! He said it. And he doesn't feel bad. He told Alauna all of this years ago anyway. "But she's also the warmest, kindest, and bravest woman I've ever fought alongside with." A tint of pink highlighted his cheeks. Her cleared his throat bashfully. Salim folded his arms, tapping his foot impatiently. Bentley sighed resignedly, looking away from him in shame. He can deny it. Change the subject. Say straight to Salim's face that he's wrong. When in reality...there is nothing that can dissuade what is. "No...I don't think it's a coincidence. No, I don't think Ahlii Parda is interested for nothing." He curled his lips, taking in a long breath. "And yes, Alauna is starting to see it too."

Salim's eyes widened. "She what?"

"After meeting Spot, Alauna began to wonder why he and Pardelaytra seemed so familiar. Then Ahlii Parda came into the picture…"

"And the puzzle pieces started to lay themselves out." Salim concluded. "They are ambiguous pieces. Spreading far and wide, creating nothing that would remotely resemble an image." In that sense, that is Alauna's mind throwing up a shield of denial. A defense to further convince herself she is not related to the leopard she has met. "But slowly and surely, there will come a time where she cannot deny it."

"Which is why…" Bentley took out his tablet, showing Salim a currently running test on strands of hair he acquired, "I am running a DNA test to put our minds at ease. Mostly hers." He moaned. Pardelaytra, Spot, Ahlii Parda, and Alauna all had strands of hair donated to this test. Bentley likely plucked hairs of Ahlii Parda from Alauna. He did get rather close. "If Alauna is related, this test will prove it." Bentley hugged the tablet to his chest. _She can't be related._ He pleaded in his mind. _She just can't._

"What will you do when you learn she is related to Ahlii Parda and the others?"

"Nothing." Bentley decreed.

"Nothing?" Salim shook his head.

"Nothing!" Bentley beared his teeth, tired of Salim trying to create disarray amongst his friends.

"Why nothing?" Salim snarled.

"Because regardless of her lineage, Alauna is Alauna!" She's abrasive, rude, ruthless, kind, compassionate, brave, and impulsive. DNA be damned, she won't change - and Bentley won't change her - because of a test result.

"What will Sly think?" Salim continued to quiz him. "He will learn that the family of his eldest friend has sought the death of his!"

"Sly will feel the same as I do! Maybe stronger!" Sly and Alauna have faced Hell and Heaven alike too many times. Something as trivial as this will never break them apart. Salim was taken aback by Bentley's steadfast loyalty to Alauna. A lump formed in his throat as he tried to swallow his unease. "Alauna is nothing like Pardelaytra, or Ahlii Parda. We have nothing to fear from her."

"Then why are you so frightened?" He was talking about the quiver in Bentley's voice. His whole body was shivering as if winter had set.

"Because she'll be afraid of herself."

 **Yep! Not one of my better chapters. But it will suffice.**

 **To be continued**


	20. The Walls Have Ears Everywhere

**The Walls Have Ears**

 **EVERYWHERE!**

 **Moving on.**

 **xxx**

The door to the study was slowly cracked open. The aged hinges ground loudly. Salim and Bentley winced nervously. No real surprise if the boisterous guards on the second floor heard it. They could hear them! They weren't necessarily being inconspicuous about their search for the - ahem - impertinent one at the front door. The whole third floor was shaking because of them. The thick marbling muffled their voices, but Bentley picked up that the guards were planning to move to the third floor. He and Salim needed to hurry up with their plan.

Bentley and Salim cautiously poked their heads inside. The study was an absolute mess. Books were either stacked ridiculously high, almost to the ceiling, or they were thrown about and torn on the floor. Papers serving as a tacky throw rug. Or maybe it was just the floor was made of old papers. Protractors and quills were broken. The high powered fans Decibel used to beat the harsh Arabia heat were cut down, demolished on the main and sub level of the enormous room. So at least papers weren't flying through the air like last time. Much to Salim's liking, that horrid device screeching with her foul music was trashed.

The guards must have beaten them to the punch. The whole room was in disrepair. At least, that's what Salim and Bentley pondered. A closer look made them pause to marvel. The room was just as Ms. Decibel left it. The gaurds just tore apart what she left behind. Apparently they gave up some time ago disposing of it. So the building was named condemned to keep others from finding it. Bentley couldn't shake the nagging feeling that the word _condemned_ would be slated to be changed to _demolished_ before the day is over.

Salim slowly closed the doors. Through the narrow crack, he spotted handful of guards meandering the halls. "Bentley! We are running out of time!" Salim pleaded for him to put a rush on his plan.

Bentley was already on it. Using his tablet, he attempted to ping on the unique signatures transmitted from his music boxes. He momentarily lost them while ducking in and out of closets. Hopefully what he was detecting wasn't on the floor with the rest of the junk. "Bingo!" Bentley marked three different places on his tablet. He directed Salim's attention to familiar spots. "The transmitters are right where we left them. We just need to get them back."

"WE? What is this WE?! I do not recall a WE when these infernal devices were set!" Salim flew into a hissy fit. Bentley groaned abysmally, slapping a palm to his face. "I was the one who climbed to the heavens and back again!" He climbed the invisible chain, lifting himself briefly from ground. "Crawled lower than a scorpion's belly!" He shuffled around Bentley's chair. "And was nearly TRAMPLED," Bentley ignored being bounced by his stomping, "Placing your blasted trans-musical-whatchamadoogles!" He flapped his arms crazily.

Bentley stared deadpanned at the fuming Cooper. He drummed fingers to his cheek, waiting for the old man to either throw out his back or run out of breath. Possibly both will happen. He was mildly disappointed when Salim's fumes ran cold. "You done? Because we're kind of wasting time." He motioned hands to the door. The guards were getting closer.

"OH FINE!" Salim threw his hands out. Might as well stop complaining. After all, Bentley and his friends are helping him to rescue his brothers. Salim went for the easier one suspended over in the reading area. "After this, I am going to Fiji! No one will stop me!"

"I doubt they'd want to!" Bentley scoffed back. He shook his head. He's never known a Cooper to complain so much. _Now I see where Alauna was going._

Out habit, Salim kept low to the ground. Part of his half expected Ms. Decibel to emerged on the other side and begin playing her horrific, ear screeching music. He must shake the hand of the one who broke her devices. He fails to see how that music will ever be a preferred genre. A shame they didn't remove the wardrobe dividers barring the reading area. He grabbed hold of the dangling chain. Feebles links that wouldn't support a meerkat. Salim mustered a breath. He grabbed hold. The mystical energies bestowed to him, marshalled by his family's famed Cooper focus, divided between his hands, legs, and tail. Salim pulled. A boost of tremendous energy rocketed him up the chain. The links broke seconds after he ascended. He jumped the divider, landing like a cat on the other side.

"Ha-ha!" He wriggled his brow. He's still got it in his old age. He rocketed up the second chain, jumping to less than sturdy stack of books. He shifted his weight climbing the questionable stairs of books, feeling his nerves come back to him when he reached the platform in the corner. He found the transmitter sitting where he left. "Never thought I would see these things again." He wiped some dust off with his sleeve, bringing a shine to the familiar box of obnoxious music. A warm nostalgia washed over him. "To think it was because of this doohickey I was able to save my brothers before. And now it will save them again.

 _BOOM!_ The books and walls quaked. Salim nearly lost his balanced. He fumbled with the transmitter, hugging it to his chest. He released his breath in relief. " _HERE YOU ARE!_ " Ice replaced his blood. He jumped the divider, riding his magic carpet to to a safe landing. Salim scrambled into a sprint. Bentley was thrown into him, both smashed against the wall.

The room was spinning faster than the stars around their heads. "Come here...often?" Bentley dazedly joked.

"Only on...weekends." Salim held his head. Were those his birds or Bentley's stars? Who cares. They're pretty.

"Well lookie who we have here!" Bentley and Salim shook away the daze, then grimaced as a pair of shadows loomed over them. Two cackling Mandril Guards cracked their knuckles, towering over the nervously sweating pair. "Salim Al-Kupar! The Vizier's been looking for you! Imagine our luck!" He elbowed his partner.

"Half of the 40 thieves caged like rats," The second guard wrapped his fingers to Salim's neck, hoisting him high off the floor, "Their king about to join them." Salim choked for the smallest stream of air. Pressure built in his head. He clawed and kicked at the ridiculously muscular arm. The guard brought him in close. The foul fumes of his breath protruded from his toothy grin. "In pieces, maybe. But at least they'll be able to see you one last time."

"SALIM!" Bentley attached green flashing bombs to each ape. "HOLD YOUR BREATH!" Salim wriggled his neck free enough to take in that breath. Bentley plugged his nose and pushed a button. The bombs exploded, and the impacts harmless to where they just knocked the guards off their feet. Salim landed with a hand touching the cold floor. The guards dizzily climbed to their feet, balling their fingers into fists. The green smoke exuding from the bombs wafted into their nostrils. The guards paused briefly, then toppled unconscious to the ground. Z's floated as they snored.

"What in the Djinn's Sandy tail was that?!" Salim plugged his nose, waving the lingering stench away.

"My patented sleep bombs!" Bentley's mech arm came equipped with an oscillating fan. "Packs a punch on the explosion, and brings your down HARD!" Faster than the previous batch he used. "Now let's get the other two transmitters before-"

"FREEZE!" Three Monitor Lizard aimed their gas guns. Siamese cats filed in behind them. "You two aren't going anywhere!"

"How many of those sleepy bombs do you have?" Salim asked deadpanned.

"Not THAT many." Bentley wheezed. He clicked his dart gun, loading the explosive darts. Salim rolled up his sleeves, flexing his staff challengingly. Mandrils added to the staggering numbers. "You take the one's on the left, I'll take the one's on the right?"

"Deal!"

 **xxx**

Sly, Carmelita, Alauna, and Slytunkhamen dispersed to the four corners of the village after Salim literally dragged Bentley for Decibel's Study in the library. Their objective was to learn where Ahlii Parda is holding the members of the 40 Thieves his guards managed to capture. With any luck, they'll learn the identity of Ahlii Parda's partner from their era. Their targeted locations were Mad Mahmood's Oasis, Honest Hasan's Pub, Faulty Farouk's Inn, and Jovial Jasmine's Hovel. Popular hangout for guards on their breaks, or simply avoiding the sweltering heat.

It's been two days since the thieves were captured. Their whereabout and condition of health unknown. Assuming the worst is all the Cooper Gang can do in order to encourage themselves to not idle. Their lives are hanging in the balance, and grow shorter the longer they are imprisoned. They are depending on Salim and The Cooper Gang to find and rescue them. Not to mention, but is being kept within the Cooper Gang's ear, it is unsure what a death in the 40 thieves will do to the time stream. It's ambiguous at best when and how each member passed away. The window for error is very slim. Either Carmelita, Alauna, Slytunkhamen, and Sly complete their investigation without rousing the slightest suspicions, or Salim is down half his thieves. His family.

Sly arrived at his location. Mad Mahmood's Oasis. A luxurious and extravagant complex rivaling Villa's in modern day Italy. Hand carved marble stone brilliantly reflecting the searing sunlight. Vibrant palm trees standing erect within a lush garden at the entrance. Heavily armed guards another hand placement away from a full strip search. An open space barred by tall walls from the public in the back with a crystal blue watering hole alive with bustling guests and entertaining staff. If the guards are anywhere, it'll be there.

The wall was too exposed. Partying people inebriated by alcohol or not, someone is bound to notice him.

"Now I just have to find a way in without…" Sly trailed off. He slid from the roof, dropping to a wooden balcony. He lied on his stomach behind the laundry draped over. Peering past a red quit, he spied something interesting. "What do we have here?" He hummed.

A young Merchant's carts was spilling excess fruit sauntered to the entrance. The guards were particularly interested in searching, and allowed him to pass through the arch to the courtyard without incident. A lively place is bound to have more deliveries. So long as they come with goods, a merchant isn't batted an eye. Sly hummed with a brilliant plan coming to mind.

Good thing he saved his old Arabian Disguise. A blurred spin and Sly was sporting his Arabian Fashion once more. It fit nicely still too. Bentley warned Sly that the guards know the locals. But merchants are foreign to everyone. He should fit right in. He just needs the right goods. And there just so happens to be a Merchant bringing in a cart of Mangos, Pomegranates, and Grapefruits.

"As much as I hate to interrupt a man in business…" He shrank back behind the cloth.

Moments later, Sly was pulling the deceptively heavy cart. Barely two steps after he replaced the real merchant and he was breaking into a dead sweat. If his costume doesn't give him away, his soaked armpits will. He never dreamed fruit would be so heavy. Especially when it comes on wheels. He strained his arms until they were numb. His feet sinking in the loose sand. To think there are merchants who pull these things for miles on end.

"Starting...to wish...I brought...MURRAY!" Sly growled between arduous pulls. He can't stand the heat anymore. He needs air conditioning, and a bath, BAD.

The Mandril guards at the entrance sneered as Sly approached. He acknowledged them with a nod, and gestured to _his_ wares spilling out the back. The guard grunted in the back of their throats. The abundance of fruit wasn't impressive to them in the least. It looked like the last five that entered before hand. They redirected their attention to the streets, allowing Sly to slip in without trouble. He released a breath of relief, then snickered triumphantly. Normally, Sly would use the _Slow Time_ ability in order to slip in. But there was a chance it would fail a ways inside and he'll be exposed. With the fruit cart, he has validity to be inside.

"I'm in!" Sly whispered to his com. "So far so good. Sounds like the guards are near the pool though." He set the cart to the wall farthest from anyone's immediate view.

" _It goes without saying,_ " Carmelita firmly uttered. Sly crouched on the other side of the cart, straining an ear for approaching footsteps, " _Try to not get caught!_ "

"Me? Get caught? Perish the thought!" He snorted. Carmelita was rolling her eyes. Sly spotted a pole scaling to the roof. He didn't see any guards up there before. That's his ticket in. "Don't worry, Carmelita. I'll be in and out of here with enough time to steal a mango." She doesn't quite get the joke. An inside one for his rumbling stomach.

The crowds passing by were small. Although, it isn't improbably for one passerby to spot him climbing. Sly activated the costume's _slow time_ ability. An gelatinous aura spanned from Sly. The world and people around him slowed to a near halt. He rocketed up the pole, no one batting an eye. The skill faded once he climbed on. No one below was the wiser. Sometimes jobs were too easy for him. No real entertainment or challenge. There's a tiny itch for him to raise some sort of Hell in order to get the most of this job.

" _Has anyone heard from Bentley or Salim?_ " Slytunkhamen uttered uneasily. Sly felt a lump in his throat. Alauna and Carmelita were unnerved as well. It's been a while since they heard from either of them. " _I'm nervous about leaving them alone._ "

"They'll be fine, Slytunkhamen. They've worked together countless times before." Sly reassured him, hoping to assuage his and the girl's worries. In spite of Sly being just as concerned. "I'm sure they're fine."

 **xxx**

With a warish roar, Salim grasped a Mandril by the arm and threw him over his shoulder over the edge to the bottom floor. The Mandril landed hard to his back, succumbing to the chirping birds circling his head. Bentley ignited his chair's booster, earning a clean strike bowling over Monitor Lizards and Siamese Cats. Two more Mandrills burst into the study, pounding their chests challengingly. They both stopped, gaping dumbly. Beeping was coming from their feet. Charges were set in a circle. A bead of sweat hanging at their brow, they chuckling weakly to the turtle and raccoon a few feet away. Salim and Bentley sniggered impishly. Bentley raised a button. Salim pushed it. The controlled explosion took a hole out of the floor, dropping the Mandrills into a scorpion pit. The agonized yelping of them being stung were music to their ears.

"That was fun!" Salim expressed with rosy cheeks.

"Definitely!" Bentley matched the smile.

"We should do this more often."

"Definitely!"

"HALT!" Another handful of guards stormed for the study. The monitor's and cat's jumped the hole. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY!"

Salim and Bentley deadpanned irritably. "I did not mean this soon!" Salim protested.

"Definitely not!"

"Shall we determine who gets the remaining transmitters?"

"Which is less strenuous for you?" Bentley quizzed. There was a breeze. Lines dotted the empty space Salim occupied. Bentley groaned as he spotted Salim racing for the other two transmitters. "Figures. Leave me to do all the fighting." He armed his dart gun. The guards leapt for him. Bentley huffed hot air from the nostrils and aimed.

 **xxx**

Back at Mad Mohammad's Oasis, Sly was crouched on the edge of the uneven roof. As he suspected, a plethora of guards were lounging around poolside absorbing much needed vitamin D. Scantily clad dressed women were serving tropical drinks, and offering to sit in their laps for an extra tip. How the times don't ever truly change.

The morning light was bearing down hard. Sly felt overcooked. He activated his slow time ability again. He jumped to the balconies of resident's rooms, landing to the walls like a cat. Couples feeding one another desserts pricked a twinge of jealousy in Sly's chest. _Why didn't I ever do this with Carmelita?_ He cursed himself. He has a plan to initiate when the mission is over.

The ability was fading fast. There was little time and very limited places to hide. Sly swallowed nervously, taking a leap of faith. He grabbed a balcony ledge, swinging down and behind the lounge chair of a Mandril guard. The sun shielding palm trees, and surrounding bushes all that protected him from being spotted. The ability wore off, and the boisterous bustling of the party rang in Sly's ears. They seemed so much quieter from outside. And the smell of the guy he was hiding behind was making his eyes water. Worse still, if he can't laugh without bobbing like a booey, Sly might develop Alauna's murderous impulses.

"CHEERS TO US!"

"CHEERS!" The two guards clank fancy, curved cups. Amazing they didn't shatter. _What are you cheering to_? Sly snorted mentally. _Sitting on your butts for hours at a time?_

"I thought I was going to be shriveled by the heat before I got my break!"

"Your break ended three hours ago!"

"And I still haven't recovered." He put on his best woe-is-me act, draping a wrist over his forehead. His friend wasn't buying it, and drowned his friend's drama in his drink. If neither of them say something worthwhile, Sly's throwing them into the pool and drowning them. _Oh man! I'm sounding like Allie every day!_

 **xxx**

"AACHOO!" Alauna sniffled, shaking the barrel she's hiding in. She groaned sickly. "Stupid sand!"

 **xxx**

"So you know that Salim guy we're supposed to find?" Sly's ear stretched. And the channel finally changes.

"Yeah. What about him?"

The one guard peered around suspiciously. He leaned in, raising a hand to the side of his mouth, "I heard his thief brothers were caught. At least half of 'em!" He whispered excitedly.

"No way! How?" The dramatic friend almost threw his cup. He clamped his mouth closed when he was reminded to keep his voice down. Sly edged hi ear closer.

"No clue! I wasn't part of the siege." Sly's brow furrowed. _So the siege was for them and Salim._ "Here's what I do know: those thieves are being slated for execution."

"You're joking!" The guard gasped. Sly's horrifically wide eyes screamed the same thing. Carmelita, Alauna, and Slytunkhamen froze. _Slated for execution?!_ His breath caught in his throat. Sly knew their time was short. But for an execution to be scheduled so soon? "They've gotta be holding them in one of the death row blocks."

"Which one do you think it is?" _Which one?_ Sly was afraid of this. A big place like Arabia, there has to be a handful of places to confine someone.

"Beats me! The captain and lieutenant would know. Too bad they're over at Honest Hasan's Pub and Faulty Farouk's Inn."

Sly heard all he needs to hear. He activated the slow time ability one more time and climbed for his life for the roof. "Any of you guys get that?" He asked, dismissing the ability.

" _Yep! I'm at Hasan's!_ " Carmelita confirmed.

" _I am conveniently at Farouk's._ " Slytunkhamen replied.

" _I'm still here at Jasmine's. Something weird is happening here._ " Alauna reported.

"Keep me posted. I'm heading back to the hideout."

 **xxx**

"Right. I'm moving in." Carmelita announced. She casually leaned to a corner, leering to a hay roofed building.

Honest Hasan's Pub resembled a hole in the wall place. The fermenting smell of body odor and cigars was ripe. Obnoxiously loud hooting and hollering echoed for miles around. The uniformly woven hay was jostling loose by all the banging going on inside. A crowd of people were being frightened out. Carmelita winced in pity. _You'd think it was Superbowl Sunday._ She's not sure which one is scarier.

The pub is just that. A pub. There's no need for security like Mohammad's. But the chance of high guard presence is a risk she can't afford. Hasan's is located above the ocean on a cliff side. There's a path leading along side the cliff to a wooden pier running underneath. By the railing, it was to prevent drunken fools from falling in. Easily, anyway. While she stood there debating her entry method, Carmelita watched two drunkards fall to their deaths.

 _The Captain or the Lieutenant._ Carmelita muttered. Either one or both are inside. If they're liquored up enough, she can weasel information out of them. If not, she's going to have to play the waiting game. First she has to get inside.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE SALIM AL-KUPAR ELUDED US!"

"HUH? CRAP!" Carmelita dove inside a window to the vacant building she was leaning to. A Monitor lizard wearing a decorative sash, being followed by three siamese cats, was fuming out the ears. The ground shook under his rampant stomping. Carmelita poked her head out, watching him closely.

"Those blasted new thieves are making us look like fools!" The lizard howled. Carmelita carefully climbed back out, stalking just out of earshot. "If I had my way…" The lizard pried off his turban, chewing it like a rabid dog, "I WOULD THROW THEM ALL IN A GAS CHAMBER AND WATCH THEM SUFFER!" He chewed a hole clean through. One of the cats replaced it with a spare. "Listen as they beg for mercy, and watch the light leave their eyes!" He cackled crazily, running his forked tongue over his row of razor sharp teeth. Carmelita wrapped arms to her shivering body, minding not to knock over the hay bales she hid behind. The man is brutal. Someone like that has to be in charge. Or know who is.

A server exiting the pub stopped in their tracks, trembling with fear. She hugged her tray close to her chest as a menial shield. A rock could penetrate a flimsy piece of metal. The lizard shouted at her in Arabic, likely ordering an abundance of drinks and food to satisfy his bad attitude. He pivoted to the pathway. His entourage tripped over themselves trying to keep up with him. This gave Carmelita a devilish idea. She's going to have to hand over her badge when this is over. _Sly's rubbing off on me._

The lizard and his crew were wandering off. He muttered angrily under his breath, advocating to the insult his position has suffered. The server was able to breathe again as he left down the path. "Excuse me…" Carmelita touched the frightened service woman's shoulder. "By any chance, do you want to avoid being within arm's length of him?" She was baffled by the question, but was listening all the same.

 **xxx**

In a blind rage, the monitor lizard fired his gun at the ocean. Corpses and skeleton trapped by the rocks suffered under relentless fire. The lizard reduced their defiled bodies to swiss cheese. The rolling waves dragged bits and pieces of them that were freed.

"Blast you, Ahlii Parda!" The lizard roared, venom dripping to his teeth. "Had you simply allowed us to kill him when my man had him…!" The lizard turned a dial, charging his gun to full power. The gun shook violently in his hands. He aimed for a corpse spread eagle on a rock. He pulled the trigger. The force drove him back several feet. A large, condensed ball of gas launched fiercely, streaking through the air like a star, reducing the corpse and boulder to scattered chunks. The siamese cats moved close to one another, quaking in fear that the gun will be turned on them. "Listening to that outsider has caused us nothing but problems!"

Two of the cats pushed their middle comrade forward. She hissed curses at them, vowing to get back at them for this. "Th-there is cause for some celebration, Captain..." She was shaking so badly she couldn't steady her voice. Relief came when the server woman finally arrived with the captain's favorite food and drinks. The masked fox woman bowed in respect, placing the tray to the small table close to the cliff wall. The captain never once acknowledged her. The siamese guards, on the other hand, nodded thankfully for her service. This dismissed the server sending her on her way.

 **xxx**

Unbeknownst to the cats and their captain, a tiny device was embedded under the bowl of spice for the snacks. And back up the path on a rooftop, Carmelita was tearing off the suffocating dress mask, touching two fingers to her comlink. " _I heard half of the 40 thieves were rounded up._ " The feed was clear as morning.

" _HALF! Only half! Not all, or Salim!_ " She heard the Captain roar. Her eardrum came close to breaking.

 **xxx**

"Capturing Salim would have brought me honor and prestige!" And another ribbon for his sash to further inflate his ego. "Instead of Captain of the guard, I would be ranked within the royal military!" The thousands that would bask in his presence. Sadly, as fate would have it, his dream of ascension is postponed. "Ah well, at least I have their executions to look forward to." Carmelita's brow knit. _Finally!_

"I heard about that. How will they be dealt with?"

"The first half I will be supervising." The Captain clarified. _The first half. So they are separated._ Carmelita is not surprised. In fact, she anticipated this. To effectively deal with a group of criminals, separating them and limiting contact with one another is key. The Captain chuckled with a menacing grin. "The drowned dungeons will be their tombs!"

 _The drowned dungeons?!_ Carmelita screamed in her mind. "That's a heck of a way to go." One of the cats shivered. She read Carmelita's mind, but was far more mild about it. "What about the others?"

"My lieutenant has yet to divulge." The Captain shrugged, not caring either way. "I'm sure it is something gruesome. Farouk's helps him come up with the most twisted fates for his prisoners."

 **xxx**

"Ahmen?" Carmelita hoped he heard that.

 **xxx**

"Heard him clear as day!" Slytunkhamen whispered, minding the idly wandering people passing by him. "And I am already inside Faulty Farouk's Inn." He was seated at a table in the farthest corner of the lobby's dining area. Those entering and leaving in full view. No one escaping him. From the unsatisfied customer to the new arrivals, Slytunkhamen watched them all. "There has been no sign of the Lieutenant yet." He grimly reported.

It's an odd feeling. Sitting there alone, speaking with those miles away from him. Such feats are only possible in fantasy literatures, or in the seeded madness of the mentally ill. Until recently, he thought Sly and his companions were mad in the head. Always talking out loud, carrying on full conversations when no one is around. Their ability to be inconspicuous only lacking when too engrossed. Yet here he is now, engrossed in their ritual. Several times during their recon, Slytunkhamen has openly reacted. Gasping in shock, growling in anger, shooting up in dismay. Curious eyes have wondered if he was a madman or not.

"The invention future generations concoct…" Slytunkhamen muttered adulated. He's sad he won't live to see what the future has in store. "Sly…" What a son he would be.

The opening door reminded Slytunkhamen to stay on topic. The captured thieves have been separated, confined to different prisons somewhere in Arabia. Near the palace across the sea, or somewhere in the desert. The Captain only revealed what he plans to do to the thieves. Not where his half is being kept. Slytunkhamen has to learn all he can from the Lieutenant. That is, if he's even there. He could have chosen to dine elsewhere. Or his subordinates got his location wrong.

"Huh?" Slytunkhamen may have doubted too soon.

At the stairs leading to the rooms on the second and third floors, two Mandrills and a Monitor Lizard entered the lobby. They scanned the meek crowd with a harsh glare, dispersing them like bugs under a cruel light. Slytunkhamen followed the dwindling crowd's lead, and shrank in his seat, hiding himself behind the gather of bottles at the bar. He recognizes those guards from the siege. Then again, they all look the same after a while. They stand out more by the silver belts with dangling tassel at their hips. The last guard to arrive was a Siamese Cat, wearing a gold bet with similar tassels on the end.

"Where would you like to sit today, Lieutenant?" One of the Mandril asked. _So the lieutenant is a woman?_ Slytunkhamen purred in his mind. He chuckled lightly. _Someone to challenge Carmelita and Alauna._

"Anywhere is good." She waved dismissively. She sat at a table near the windows. Her subordinates joined her.

"The lieutenant has just arrived." Slytunkhamen mumbled under his breath. The narrow corner effectively masked his voice. As long as he is mindful, Slytunkhamen will not be discovered. "She is surrounded by fellow guards." He growled at how close they were to the front door. "My exit is precariously unavailable. I will have to make a hasty exit when I am done."

" _No need to be so stiff, Ahmen._ " Alauna teased, making him blush. " _We aren't soldiers. We're just regular people looking for our friends._ " He bashfully rubbed the back of his head. Thinking on what he said, he does sound stiff compared to the others. " _Just relax. As a Master Thief, you should be fluent in blending in._ "

"Yes…" Slytunkhamen cleared his throat. He's been a Master Thief for many years. Infiltrated tightly knit organizations, mingled with crowds of only three people and a pet, and obtained information from those who had lost their tongues. No need for him to be nervous. Why should he be? _Because I want to impress my descendant and his friend._ He laughed at himself. In their eyes, in place of his appearance, he must seem very old. In reality, he's the second oldest ancestor present. Salim notwithstanding.

"So lieutenant…" The other mandril leaned in, "Have you thought about what you're going to do with your prisoners yet?" _Right on the first entry._ Slytunkhamen knit his brow.

"I've been rankled by my options for days and nights without sleep." The lieutenant grumbled. She yawned exhausted, stretching her arms behind her head. She's slept on it enough. She needs an idea today. "A fresh morning with a fresh mind, I might actually be able to come up with a…" She trailed off, her eyes widening with a realization. Slytunkhamen was unnerved by her expression. _With a..._ What is she planning in that dastardly mind of hers? "I've got it!" She slammed a fist on the table in cheer. She startled the bartender and Slytunkhamen. The bottles nearly fell exposing him. "I know how I will end my portion of the thieves." Slytunkhamen tensed, stressing his hearing.

"Yeah? What?" The lizard leaned in, anxious to hear her plan. He's been waiting for this decision for two days. Will she bake them in the desert? Drown them in high tide? Tie them spread eagle inside a cage and drop them on spikes? The possibilties were endless, and tickled his sadistic erotica.

The cat lieutenant chortled evilly. "The scarab caverns." She purred.

"The caverns?"

"Yes!" She bared her fangs. A nervous drop of sweat hung to Slytunkhamen's head. _Scarabs?_ He cried in his mind. "The thieves will howl and plead with agony as the scarab's devour their flesh and bones." "For now, they will rot in the pits in Baal Hadad Hills. Just as their brothers are left to suffer in Dhat Badan's pits." Slytunkhamen was stunned in horror. The fate left to these men isn't one he'd wish upon anyone in his darkest dreams.

 **xxx**

"Baal Hadad Hills and Dhat Badan Pits..." Alauna formed her thumb and index fingers to her chin in deep thought. "Egyptian names for locations within Arabia…" She hummed thoughtfully. Baal Hadad was the God of the Dead of the Canaanite legend whose position was threatened - unsuccessfully - by Attar, who is a masculine version of Venus. Dhat Badan is the Yemen and Ethiopian Goddess of nature and the oasis.

" _Alauna? Do you know what those places are?_ " Slytunkhamen shuddered to ask.

"I'm afraid my knowledge of Ancient Arabia is severely lax." Lax to none. Her only knowledge is the languages spoken. Alauna is very ashamed of herself. "An Oasis God - naturally you don't want to assume the worst. But the god of the dead…" Alauna need not finish. A server of Jovial Jasmine's Hovel offered her a drink. She politely accepted, wanting to stop the gawking eyes from boring into her. "The thieves are in danger, regardless of the names."

" _Well we know where the thieves are?_ " Sly inserted himself, earning agreeing nods from the others." _We just need to come up with a plan to rescue them._ "

"Alright." Alauna agreed. That will be Bentley's department. _Wonder how he's doing._ Alauna's train of thought was derailed by the rowdy bar crowd growing ridiculously loud in a fifth of a second. That wasn't the strange part. People were leaning close to one another, snickering and gossiping like school children. Some were converging at the windows, swarming and hovering over them as if trying to spot a celebrity. "Hmm…"

" _Alauna?_ " Sly called.

"I'll meet you back at the safehouse." She responded gruffly. "There's something going on here at Jovial Jasmine's Hovel."

" _Trouble?_ "

"No…" Not trouble persay. But equally unnerving. "Everyone's on their toes and giddy. Sort of like the crowds that gather when Queen Elizabeth decides to take a stroll." Those people are ridiculous. Don't even get her started when that Royal Wedding took place. What a riot

" _Who is Queen Elizabeth?_ " Slytunkhamen chimed in.

Alauna resisted laughing. "No one you'll have to worry about for several thousand years." Talking of people and things the ancestors will never know of was her second favorite inside joke. Number one being " _Find the similarities between Sly and his Ancestors._ " "Hold on! Someone's coming…" Alauna held her breath.

The crowd near the door parted like the sea. Seats were ripped from tables, or from under someone else, and placed in prime positions. Those sitting at the bar were climbing on top of one another, climbing for a better view. Alauna felt enclosed as patrons moved in front of her, close to sitting with her. She will shoot them if they so much as breathe in her direction.

Guards unlike the ones Alauna and the others have encountered entered the hovel. Impressive and intimidating Six Rhinoceros guards trudged inside. Splitting to either side, they stood at attention in filed rows. A shadow blocked the doorway. Alauna had to stand in her booth with everyone shuffling in her line of sight. An orange and black striped hand gripped to the doorway. A figure almost as tall as the ceiling entered. Their long, regal, pine green cloak masked a large portion of their face, save for the feline nose protruding. Alauna narrowed her eyes. She can almost see his face. He just needs to…

The mysterious man grasped at his hood. He flipped it off. An orange and black striped face, and feline ears emerged. Pitch black eyes beaming in the dim lighting. Alauna's jaw dropped. _Impossible!_ Her spine was encased her ice. Her drink fell from her hands, spattering unbeknownst to a man's foot. "I...don't'...believe it…" She uttered, close to collapsing.

" _Alauna? Did you find something?_ " Sly entered the com, hearing her gasp.

Alauna raised an uncontrollably shaking hand to her ear. Her skin was crawling in abject shock and dismay. "Sly…" Her voice cracked, "You are never going to guess who I'm looking at right now." She can hardly believe it herself.

The mysterious figure cast a hand forward. The entire room went dead silent. Alaun thought she went deaf. "Heed my words, Peasants!" His Indian accent echoed in the ears, putting a spell on his audience. "As of this day, you are now under the rule and thrall of me," He threw his arms to the sky, "The Mighty Rajan! Lord of the Hills, and commander of the Iron Heart!" He slammed a hand to his vigorously pounding heart. _Under his rule?!_ Alauna gasped in her mind. Was he bluffing? Is he posturing? She knit her brow suspiciously. _This must be Ahlii Parda's doing._ "Be warned…" He bared his razor sharp teeth, growling ferally to the terrified, onlooking crowd. "All those who would oppose me," He balled his fingers into fists. Alauna could feel her heart being crushed in his palm, "Shall be punished with a fate worse than death!"

 **To be continued.**


	21. A Friendly Conversation

**A**

 **Friendly**

 **Conversation**

 **Sorry for being gone so long. I got a second job and was finishing my Black Butler fic. Let's get a chapter out of here. It won't be anything long, but it will do.**

 **xxx**

Jovial Jasmine's Hovel was abundant with patrons. The gruff, savage voice of a man obsessed with power was able to be heard from miles around. Drawn to that voice, like a hunter seeking to put an ailing animal out of its misery, a cloaked figure strolled on his way to the hovel. Guards put off by the menacing cloak strutted pompously to go haseel him. One sharp glare from a golden eye deterred their very fatal mistake. They clammed up and darted in opposite directions. The cloaked figure proceeded to the back door, not wanting to disrupt what sounded to be a very riveting speech of bolstered power. Besides, there is a particular patron seated inside he wished to see.

 **xxx**

Hearty cheers reverberated Jovial Jasmine's Hovel, frightening passersby out of their skins. A snake literally shed his skin and darted underground. Clanking mugs filled with overpriced alcohol spilled to the already sticky floors. Rajan basked in the glorious cheers, arms raised and fingers motioning for them to continue their praises. The typical narcissistic behavior of a self made Lord and Drug Dealer. Revolting does not begin to cover how despicable this man is. Forever trapped in the mentality of the child slumming in the streets, peddling drugs to the highest bidder. A middle aged tyrant throwing himself to the masses that are groveling at his every word. The promises of corrupt justice and barbaric bloodshed making them drool.

" _RAJAN?!_ " Sly's howl broke the sound barrier in Alauna's earcom. A painful ringing strummed her ear like a chord." _Of all the people...Penelope is really digging in our sordid past!_ " Though out of resentment, Alauna was impressed by his level of vocabulary.

 **xxx**

"Who is this Rajan?" Slytunkhamen asked Carmelita. The two came across one another making their way back to the safehouse for further orders. They stopped in an alleyway near a local market when Alauna sent word of Rajan's appearance. Carmelita seemed to lose color at the name. Due to previous encounters, he's come to not foolishly take lightly the enemies known by his new friends.

"Someone you should avoid at all costs." Carmelita mumbled. That shudder Slytunkhamen felt with Contessa returned. He's surprised his skin stayed on his nerves. Carmelita touched two fingers to her ear, furrowing her brow, "Bison and Contessa I understand. But what significance could Rajan have?"

" _He's an entrepreneur and business Lord._ " Alauna answered. " _Rajan was responsible for sending dozens of markets throughout India into recession. He's pawn their product, refurbish them, and sell them at an affordable price._ " Carmelita will not acknowledge the admiration in her tone. " _Not to mention he earned a name for himself with his production and distribution of illegal spices. Plus he delivers quite the punch in fights._ "

"He sounds like a formidable man." Slytunkhamen remarked with a gasp.

 **xxx**

"Let's just hope he's the worst one." Alauna should know better than anyone to tempt fate. Penelope is the pinnacle of resourceful and studious. On top of having the means to pluck whomever she wishes from the Cooper Gang's past, she possesses the knowledge of which ones left the most heinous marks.

Unlike Bison and Contessa before him, Rajan never successfully captured the Cooper Gang, but his incapacitation of Sly earned him a mark of honor amongst him Klaww Gang peers. Being captured obviously lost him significant points. Compensating was his know how of selling and acquiring black market items, and avoiding suspicion from dangerous and legal factions for a majority of his life. Logically he'd be a wise choice to smuggle a handful of thieves to locations where no one would think to look for them.

"Honestly, Sly, when you first spoke of Rajan, you neglected to mention how full of hot air he is." She scoffed, completely put off by his boastful behavior. People who are full of themselves irk her beyond words.

" _Don't let that fool you._ " Sly warned with an ominous tone. " _He can snap three trees in India in one breath if he wanted to._ " Alauna pondered that exaggeration with an unnerving shiver running down her spine. Rajan stood on par with Murray and remained standing to tell the tale. Murray doesn't pull punches when his friends are hurt. Even less when he's pushed to his boiling point. The fact that Rajan isn't paralyzed from the brain down means he's built of tough stuff. " _Where is he right now?_ "

"He's still here at Jovial Jasmine's!"

 **xxx**

"I'm on my way!" Sly practically darted in the opposite direction, breaking into a new level of rooftop sprint to reach her. Alauna is skilled, he will never doubt that. But Rajan will destroy her if he catches her.

Meanwhile, Carmelita was in a foul mood by Sly's determination to race to Alauna's side. Her mind was constantly replaying Alauna stating there is nothing but a friendship between her and Sly. Their time as a couple was over. Still, she can't help this spark in her chest that's breeding the smallest bit of jealousy. The bond that they have - the bond she has with the others - is something to envy. This did not go unnoticed by Slytunkhamen.

 **xxx**

Rajan was asking the bartender to pour him him his most expensive brand of drink. He fully intended to spend the day as he wishes in anticipation of the executions that will no doubt be taking place in the very, very near future. Limiting The Cooper Gang's time to sit about and ponder.

Alauna sank in her seat, watching Rajan like a hawk so he wouldn't see her touching fingers to her ear. He'll make her in half a blink. "Bentley…? Bentley, are you there? We have a situation!" She strained to not scream. The rowdy crowd dulled to excited murmurs.

 **xxx**

Previously in the library, the umpteenth round of guards were bombarding Ms. Decibel's old study to dispatch the pair of intruders making a mockery of their proud regime of elitely trained soldiers. The mission for the transmitters to make the battery Bentley needs for the van was taking longer than it should. Divide and conquer was their only option. Salim volunteered to retrieve the transmitters. Well, volunteer was a polite way of saying _taking the less strenuous task of fetch than fight._ Bentley was left to his fate with nothing but a dart gun and his will to face the onslaught of guards coming for him. The odds were severely stacked against him. Lizards, cats, and gorillas - all trained in ancient forms of battle - against one crippled turtle. There's no way he'd survive. Salim should be ashamed of himself!

 _SHOOT! BAM! BOOM! "GYYAAHH!"_

The final guard - a mandarin - crumbled to the ground in dazed tears. A sleep dart was sticking out of his butt. With a prideful twirl of his dart gun, and a blow of the steam at the end, Bentley holstered his dart gun and bowed to his worthy opponents. Though, inside where his inner demon lied, he was snickering at how feeble they were compared to his brilliance and brawn. He chuckled boastfully, putting knuckles to his hips with a puff of his chest. _Wait till Allie hears about this!_

"That wasn't so bad." Bentley adjusted his glasses. He ignored the sweat making him sticky.

"Not at all!" Salim chortled as he sauntered on scene. He was careful to watch where he stepped. There were a lot of unconscious bodies at his feet. He cackled showing off his catch of the day. "And we've got your transmitters too." All transmitters were recovered. The hard part was over. Making the battery will be a cinch. All in all, it was turning into a good day. "Shall we head back?"

"Yep. The others should be done."

" _Bentley…?_ " Salim and Bentley paused. " _Bentley? Are you there?_ " Bentley fumbled to answer Alauna's call. " _We have a situation!_ "

"Hey Allie! Sorry about that. What's going on?" Salim laughed at his voice cracking. Bentley was turning pink in place of green. Young people in love are so adorable.

" _Where have you been?! Geez!_ " She screamed frustrated. Bentley flinched, feeling nervous sweat mix in with the rest." _Make me worry sick, why don't you?!_ "

"I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!" He shouted repeatedly, practically bowing at her feet for making her worry so much.

Salim pulled Bentley back from his heated lecture by the shoulder. He chuckled in his ear, "Is she your wife?"

"WHAT?! No!" He shrieked.

"Are you courting?" He asked again, sounding mildly disappointed.

"NO-WE-ARE-NOT!" Alauna was blinking confused on the other side as to why Bentley was screaming so much. She's the one agitated. Bentley was huffing and puffing, revving like an engine. _That's ridiculous._ Why would Alauna ever want to date someone like him? People like Sly and Murray are who she goes for.

"Could have fooled me." Salim shrugged his hands, still disappointed by his unconvincing response. He does not hold the highest opinion of Alauna, but he does admire her compassion towards him. The fact that its mutual makes it painful. Young people in love are adorable, but how stubborn they are taking that first step takes away from the charm. Nevertheless, he will tease them both mercilessly. Starting with the softer shelled one. "She sounds very worried for HER turtle." He snickered.

Bentley chewed on the end of his crossbow, wanting nothing more than to shove a dart up Salim's old butt. He grudgingly ignored the wise-ass Cooper, returning to the matter at hand. "Alauna, have you guys found where the thieves are being held?"

" _More than that! We found Ahlii Parda's Partner! It's Rajan!_ "

"WHAT?! RAJAN?" Bentley's glasses nearly shattered.

"Who is this Rajan?" Salim whispered. By Bentley's paled complexion, this was dire news.

" _He's a self made King who who helped develop a spice that sends the consumer into a fit of unstoppable rage!_ " Salim was taken aback in fright. Somehow he envisioned Murray and Alauna getting ahold of those spices. The image terrified him to stone. " _He's one of the more deplorable enemies of the Cooper Gang._ "

"He's also one of the most dangerous when cornered." Bentley murmured. If he spots Alauna… "Sly, Carmelita, Slytunkhamen! Where are you guys?!"

" _I'm on my way to her now!_ " Sly announced.

" _Carmelita and I have convened in a market near the bazaar._ " Slytunkhamen announced.

Bentley was able to release a breath of relief. Things were flowing smoothly so far.

 **xxx**

"What are your orders, Bentley?" Alauna knit her brow. Rajan was already on his third mug. He doesn't appear to want to eat. He'll likely leave soon.

" _Follow Rajan. BUT DON'T ENGAGE HIM!_ " Bentley stressed. This is a golden opportunity that can turn to brass in an instant. " _I don't mean to doubt you, but he's the last person you want to fight._ "

"Don't worry. I was thinking the same thing." A cloaked figure casually slipped in with Alauna at her booth. She raised a dismissive brow. Likely a custome around these parts during this particular era. She ignored him for the moment, twisting so he wouldn't hear her talking _to herself._ "I'll call if I've learned anything."

" _Be careful._ "

"Aren't I always?" That's what Bentley was afraid of. Alauna slid for the booth's other opening. The cloaked figure slammed a hand on her leg. The jolt made her yelp. The hand was squeezing the fingers like a vice to her thigh, mounting her in place. "HEY! KNOCK IT-"

The figure put a finger to smirking lips, shushing her with a smooth hiss. "Be at ease, my little kitten." The figure lifted his head. Alauna's eyes widened with horror, meeting the eyes of Ahlii Parda himself. "We wouldn't want to usher any unpleasantness."

"Ahlii Parda!" The name was constricted to a squeak.

 **xxx**

Sly, Carmelita, Slytunkhamen, Salim, and Bentley felt their blood turn to ice. Their spines went stiff as stone. The abject terror in their eyes made them look like ghouls. Bentley, most of all, felt his spirit be ripped out of him. Sitting right beside Alauna, with the option of ending her life in a breath, was the ruthless sadist himself. The one man who has successfully been able to sneak under Alauna's skin. And he and the others are too far away to help her.

" _Ahlii Parda?!_ " Slytunkhamen howled disdainfully. " _What is that scoundrel doing there?!_ "

"Oh man! He must have anticipated our movements and was waiting for one of us to show!" Bentley cursed himself for not anticipating this. By Salim's own accountancy, Ahlii Parda is a smart man. Clever to a frightening fault. But for him to be this clever, it borders on being psychic. "How could he possibly have known we'd go there though?"

"Common sense really." Salim blurted in monotone. He knows Ahlii Parda better than anyone. It would have been a simple process to guess they'd be scouting for information on the theives and his cohorts. What better place to who your enemy is or where a person is located than taverns. "And plus," An eerie hue shaded to Salim's brow, "Ahlii is a strategist of the highest caliber. None in Arabia can match him in wit, or skill. He's a terrifying man." As Alauna should have realized during their first meeting.

 **xxx**

Alauna winced as Ahlii Parda leaned in, the hand to her thigh starting to hurt her. His golden irises were hypnotic daggers. Smooth at the edge, capable of cutting through steel, and mystifying like a pool of glowing water. He snaked a hand to her ear. Chills scaled her neck as his fingers fiddled with her ear. The hairs from her neck to her shoulders stood. Like a gorgon with their victims, Ahlii Parda had her ensnared. She dared not move a single inch, or divert her gaze for fear he would claw her heart clean from her chest, or remove her skull before she blinks. He had plucked her communicator from her ear, displaying it tauntingly between his thumb and forefinger. Alauna gazed upon it with awe and apprehension. He slipped it into his own ear, grinning smugly as he felt Alauna tremble in his hand.

"Hello? Might this be a close friend of the lovely young lady with me?" He crooned.

" _Ahlii Parda!_ " Bentley hissed. Ahlii Parda was pleased by the snarl in his response. " _I don't know what your game is, but if you lay one finger on her-_ "

"No cause for concern, my young friend. I have no intention of harming your friend." Ahlii Parda removed his hand. Circulation gradually returned to her thigh. "However, should you or your associates move to intervene," Alauna started to feel abnormally warm. Beads of sweat dripped down her brow. Her vision blurred momentarily, "Then Ms. Alauna will not receive the antidote to a particular concoction of mine."

" _Anti_ dote?!" Bentley, Sly, and Alauna gasped. Slytunkhamen and Carmelita gasped through gritted teeth. _Antidote for what? When did he have the chance-_ It dawned on her. _My leg!_ She checked where Ahlii Parda pinned her. Sure enough, there was a small rip on the inside of her thigh. Her skin was punctured. She shot her rage filled gaze to him. Fear rippling in her magenta irises. He wiggled his hand, showing off the small needle strapped to his middle claw. A dark green liquid was seen past her blood.

"Venom from a beetle that makes its home in muddy burrows." He studied the needle with intense adulation. Innocuous and dismissive at first blush. But when properly managed, and paired with a tool that can bring forth its potential, that tiny needle can be made into a weapon of mass destruction. The product of this labor was sitting across from him. Alauna released an arduous breath. Her skin was overheating, producing sweat in unflattering places. And her eyes. Her vision won't clear up. Ahlii Parda had to have been within a foot of her. "The sweating and blurred vision set rather quickly. Respiratory failures - such as difficulty breathing - will gradually take hold as blood flow is restricted." Ahlii Parda's grin widened as she faltered. Her ability to maintain her harsh glare fascinated him. "But that will not set for another minute or so."

"You...bloody-ACK!" Alauna stifled her loud choke in her hand. Blood stained her palm. She quivered in abject horror. Coughing up blood is a symptoms of a nerve agent. _Beetles secrete nerve agent venoms?!_

"Ah yes. I forgot to mention any sort of stress would cause blood vessels to burst." He lenaed on an elbow, propping his head on his knuckles. "Do be careful." _You malignant..._ Alauna was another three words from ripping his head off his shoulders.

" _Alauna! If you can hear me, get back to the safehouse! We'll find a cure!_ "

"I am afraid she will not make it." Ahlii Parda stopped the turtle's disastrous plans. "You see, death is certain within the next five minutes of being injected." Alauna and Bentley tried accounting for how long ago it was she was stung. "Your friend has four before she is marked for a funeral." Tension squeezed Alauna's chest in a vicious vice. Her heartbeats pounded in her ears. Her muscle felt heavy, crushing her bones. Her veins showed under her skin at her neck. Her breathing became a strained rasp. "My mistake. She has three minutes." Alauna clawed at her chest. The pounding was agonizing. Each one more intense than the last, bringing that organ to the brink of exploding. She planted a hand on the table, trying to stop herself from falling over. The world was spinning. Her lungs were burning. Pressure mounted in her head. "And now she is experiencing the respiratory problems."

Bentley can hear her struggling to breathe from the other side. She gasped and moaned from the tiniest feel of air in her lungs. Her whimpers from striving to stay conscious killed him. He wanted to leap through the comlink and suck the poison out of her. " _Please! Give her the cure! I'll...I'll do you anything you want!_ "

"I'm sure you will." Alauna threw herself back. Her head was tilted back. The suffocated airway opened only a little. "But I have to know, what makes you so sure that I have the cure?"

 **xxx**

"Because if you wanted her dead you would have killed her already." The test be damned, blood relations be damned - Ahlii Parda is a phantom with the skills and efficiency of a trained assassin. Just like Alauna. He isn't shy about his skills, timid in the face of strong opponent, nor does he blush at what he is capable of doing. If he wanted, he could slaughter everyone in that tavern, and walk away to get a drink like nothing happened. "And you haven't left her to her fate, so there's obviously something you want from her."

Ahlii Parda smirked. " _Clever boy. You are correct on all fronts._ " Bentley braced himself. He heard sloshing. He was holding a vial of dark blue liquid. " _You're right. I do have the cure._ " Bentley tensed, waiting for Ahlii Parda to name his price. " _A drop on the wound and all effects are nullified. It will vanish from her blood stream._ "

"What do you want in exchange for it?" His previous claim stood. Anything Ahlii Parda wanted, he would have it. Salim, Alauna, and Sly sensed the shame Bentley exuded from begging. He'd probably drop to his knees if he could. Carmelita and Slytunkhamen, strangers to this side of Bentley, were at a loss of what to do. "Please, just name it." He doesn't want to fight anymore.

 **xxx**

Ahlii Parda partially lidded his eyes at Alauna. No energy to verbally argue, she used what stamina she had left to definitely glare in his direction. "I want to speak with this young lady. That is all."

" _You what?_ " Bentley gasped. Alauna was caught off guard as well.

"I want to speak with her. An amicable conversation." He taunted her with that tiny vial of the cure. A reminder of her limited time brought on a wave of strong prickles in her muscles. "She does this, and the cure is hers." Alauna was disgusted. Using her as a bargaining chip.

" _And that's all you want?_ " Bentley doubted. It cannot be that simple.

"Indeed." He promised. He removed the cork, tipping it to where the content were tickling the brim. Alauna's eyes widened in anticipation of him spilling it out. "The rest of you may proceed with your plans. But your friend stays with me." In an obscure way, he granted Bentley and his team permission to tail Rajan. Whether he knew if that was their plan remained to be seen, but it wasn't an invalid summation. He handed Alauna back her ear piece. She shoved it inside her ear, breathing raspily to those listening in. "By your silence, I take it that you agree, Miss Alauna?"

"BITE ME!" She coughed up blood to the table.

"I have been wrong in the past." Ahlii Parda relaxed in his spot, folding his hands to the table. "Well, if you want your friend to listen to you die, I will not stop you." He snuck a sly glance, catching the look of horror in her eye. Bentley, Sly, and the others were listening on the other end. They heard her cough just now, heard the blood spatter to the table. They'll hear her heart stop. "Can you take that guilt with you to your grave?" Ahlii Parda dug the knife deep.

" _Alauna...please…"_ Bentley implored her.

His words...they rang in her ear, striking a melancholic choir in her heart. She can see him now - hear him sniffling - struggling to not cry. Her shoulders sank. "Fine! Let's talk!" She forced herself, blood trickling down her jaw.

"Your word, Dear." He pressed. Alauna blinked confused. Discolored rings were shaping to her eyes. "I can see you are a woman of honor. I know if you give your word, you will not act against what we've agreed."

He's kneading her like fresh dough from the oven. "Alright! You...have my word." She ate a mouthful of vinegar on that oath. Shackles and chains bound her to it, fastening her to an anvil she cannot free herself from. "Bentley…Sour grapes." Ahlii Parda raised a brow.

 **xxx**

"Understood." Bentley lowered his head. He slammed a fist to his chair arm. _Dammit! Cornered._

"What does that mean?" Salim nervously asked.

"It's an old code for when a job has gone bad." He strapped the transmitters to his chair. A guard was waking up. He shot a dart in his butt without thinking. "And this job went straight to Hades in a neat and tidy handbasket." He bit his lip. _I can't believe I was outsmarted...again!_ This doesn't usually happen twice in a row for him. Is he...is he losing his touch? "Carmelita, Slytunkhamen - get back to the safehouse! Now!"

" _Right!_ " They'd rather try and pick up the mess that was made, and go after Rajan. He's the key to this mess. Ahlii Parda's plans aside, the capture of the 40 thieves members is a ploy to lure Salim out. All so they can siphon what Cooper Technique he has in his head. But Bentley was firm with his order. He was really shaken too.

This isn't the time for self loathing or kicking himself. They need to reconvene and plan their next move. One that Ahlii Parda won't see coming. "Sly, get to Alauna! Do not go after Rajan!" That was a an order etched in stone.

" _Almost there now!_ " Sly confirmed. He was breaking a world record. A hurricane of wind tore merchant stands down, and swapped a man and woman's clothing at a certain point. Jasmine's was close. He was almost there.

Bentley sucked on his dry lips. He hadn't steeled his nerves yet. It felt like there were bees swarming under his skin. His little turtle heart couldn't take much more. He wished it was feasible to leap through the phone and pull Alauna out. Abort the mission and retreat. Those shackles only tightened. "Allie..?" Bentley moaned. He needed her final say.

 **xxx**

"Yeah…" She rasped, resonating his sigh of defeat. Both concluded there's nothing they can do except play along. Breathing was taxing enough. Talking made her lungs sear unbearably, and jolted her pulse as if she was being electrocuted. "See you soon." She ended the call. _I promise...I'll be back._

"What does that mean? Sour Grapes?" Ahlii Parda inquired.

"My heart is pouring them!" Ahlii Parda still isn't sure what she's referring to. Although the look in her eye warned him of the knife she was going to bury in him.

"I'm honestly curious," Ahlii Parda turned to give her his full attention, "If your friend wasn't on the other end of that miraculous device, would you have given in?" Alauna shifted in her place. She bared her fangs, opening her mouth to unleash a barrage of insults and curses. Sharp pounds of her heart constricted the veins in her neck. The blood vessels in her eyes were becoming dangerously pronounced. "Oh yes. My apologies." Ahlii Parda, lost in his fun, almost forgot she was dying. He used a dropper and coated the wound in her thigh, letting the liquid flow along the graze. A gnawing, icy, hot sensation swelled, inflaming the skin around the wound to a welt. Seconds later, the antidote snaked inside her bloodstream. The race of her adrenaline helped it along. The veins showing in her neck faded. Her heart rate slowed. The most refreshing and desired breath of fresh air flooded her lungs. She threw herself to table, huffing and puffing as her numbed body experienced every waking sensation to bring her back to life. One more minute - just another roundabout argument - and she would have... _Oh man._ "Feeling better now, Dear?" Ahlii Parda crooned, leaning in close to her.

"FUCK YOU!" She lashed out. Her claws tore three grazes in his cheek. Ahlii Parda feigned being unphased, glaring deadpanned in her direction. Inside he was fuming. At the same time, he was lavishing in her feral ferocity. Her unadulterated rage. Her ability to rebound into swift action after nearly meeting her maker. And those claws - he scarcely imagined how devastating a wound she's inflicted to those before him. He licked the blood leaking from the gashes. A primal urge consumed him. "What the Hell do you want from me?!" Her words dripped in venom.

"To merely speak with you." Ahlii Parda quelled his urge, dabbing a cloth over the wounds. "To get to know you. After all," He folded the cloth, inserting it into his cloak as he smirked darkly. "You and I are blood, are we not?" Alauna paled once more. She hadn't noticed the hovel had suddenly gone quiet.

 **xxx**

Sly sprinted at full speed on a high wall. He pressed a foot on the edge, launching several feet in a lengthy arch. He ricocheted off a springy tarp, hooked his cane to a rope. He swung around in a full circle before shooting himself in an almost 90 degree incline inches from a crudely constructed wall. The breeze of the shredding stone brushed the fur on his knees. He flipped his weight around, and landed with catlike precision with a leg extended to the rooftop. He freed the breath he held, then broke into his second run. He didn't have to go far though. Jovial Jasmine's was just on the other side.

All was quiet. Too quiet. He couldn't have been late to the party. Alauna barely agreed to Ahlii Parda's terms. They couldn't have been done yet. Coincidentally, as he arrived, Rajan himself was taking his leave. The sight of that tiger sent Sly reeling. One clever smoke bomb, a couple of swings, and a disappearing act - Rajan can be stopped before he does anymore harm. Then again, Rajan may be expecting an attack. He isn't that smart to plan ahead, but he does learn from past mistakes. And he isn't exactly oblvious to Sly and his gang's presence.

It was tough to swallow. His pride was choking him in a vice. But, as Rajan was strolling beyond sight down the street, Sly allowed him to escape. The code _Sour Grapes_ was given. He won't further endanger his friends for the sake of his pride. Half the guards inside seemed to go with him. That doesn't tell him how many are still inside. For now, where he was is the perfect location to observe and spring. He tuned his comlink to Alauna's, hoping to be able to listen in on her conversation. There was a bit of mumbling at first, then it cleared to Ahlii Parda stating, " _After all, you and I are blood, are we not?_ "

"What…?" He gasped.

 **xxx**

Alauna's throat clenched. Her fingers balled into fists. She diverted her gaze to the table, subconsciously scooting away from him. ' _Alauna resembled him, didn't she?_ ' ' _The pair could be twins._ ' She heard Sly and Salim's conversation in her mind. ' _He called you his kin._ ' Bob cheerfully clapped in regards to spot. Then there was...Pardelaytra. "I can see in your eyes that you believe me."

"I don't believe you!" Ahlii Parda went on the defensive. His hand clamped to a knife on his hip. She quieted her anger, relaxing in her seat. "I refuse to believe I'm related to you!"

"Oh? And why is that?" He crooned, flashing her a menacing grin. "The proof has presented itself to you, has it not? Our mannerisms, our skills - there is much about us that is similar."

"There can be similarities between a potato and a brick, but that doesn't make them related!" Sly had to bite down on his tongue to not laugh. A very serious situation, but he can't deny that was a little funny.

"A rather immature comparison, but your point is valid." Ahlii Parda closed the gap between them. He won't let her escape him so easily. Her eyes darted from him to that needle that's still strapped to his finger. "But you and I aren't crop or masonry. We are leopards. The superior feline with the agility, strength, and ferocity to match our stature." He's laying it on thick. Alauna can't possibly be related to someone so full of himself. Even she is able to admit that she pales in skill to a small handful of others. Number one being Sly. "In that alleyway, I saw the eyes of one who has met death face to face and did not waver. Were it that I attacked, you would have gone for the kill."

"You're damn right I would have!" Sly flinched at her lack of hesitation. The worst part is, he agreed with both completely. Alauna isn't shy about her ability to kill without mercy.

"Not unlike Pardelaytra. Or the cave leopard, Spot." Ahlii Parda sneakily commented.

Alauna scoffed at the blatant attempt to rile her. "Is this the part...where I'm supposed to be impressed?" Ahlii Parda is losing points fast. "You're already aware I'm from the future, and that I've encountered those who resemble us." She shifted her glare to where the absent Rajan stood. She mentally shocked herself, unaware he had left. "Rajan gave you the full story about my friends and I."

"Rajan only summarized your team's involvement. Very little was said about you or the fox woman." No real shocker there. Rajan is estranged to Carmelita and Alauna. Then, if that's the case, who told him about Alauna, Spot, and Pardelaytra? Penelope, maybe. That leaves one other person.

"Then it must be Enigma - Rajan's masked cohort." She declared. Ahlii Parda's smirk widened. Sly arched a brow at the claim. _Why would Enigma talk about them?_ "You haven't denied anything, and don't seem to speak of us with any note of ignorance. She's the only other person from the future working with you who could have briefed you on us."

"Perceptive at such a young age." He stroked his chin pensively. "My dealings with her are minimal. But we have conversed enough to where I have a good understanding of you and...Carmelita - her name is?"

"You know what her name is!"

"And I know what you and she are capable of. The difference is, she does not possess your strength." Sly's fists clenched.

"She has a strength all her own. One that rivals yours and Rajan's put together. She doesn't need mine!" Alauna doesn't want anyone to possess what she has. It would ruin them. Sly was taken aback by the defense. And grateful as well. "The fact that Enigma isn't here right now means she's recovering from that fall she took! Rajan is foolish to walk around with her around."

"You speak very highly of Enigma. Is she familiar to you?"

"Not in the least!" She instantly shot back. Ahlii Parda and Sly both caught the falter in her tone. She was...lying? _Dammit, Alauna!_ Even Alauna knew she slipped up. "I'm merely remarking upon Rajan's arrogance! He knows full well that we're here! He doesn't have the skills to fend us off if we catch him!"

"I have to agree with you. I have warned him to utilize caution several times." Ahlii Parda massaged the lids of his eyes impatiently. Rajan is an overgrown child. And child are notorious for not listening to those wiser than them. "Unfortunately, his bloodlust overrules his better judgement." Another sly smirk to Alauna said she should know how that feels. Her heart pounded. "He was very candid about his disdain for the raccoon, hippo, and turtle. He wishes to savor their deaths," He opened a wriggling palm to her glowering eyes, "Crushing the life from them with his own hands. Sparing you and the lovely fox woman, of course. You two would be saved for a special punishment." Alauna bit on the inside of her cheek, growling animally in the back of her throat. "Who knows? I might enjoy watching a Cooper and his friends die. Watching you and the fox woman to see which death brings you the greatest grief." She hid her balling fists in her lap under the table. _I'm going...to kill this man._ The gleam in her eyes was fined like a knife, cutting deep within that monster's throat. Ahlii Parada smirked devilishly.

 **xxx**

Sly doesn't need to see inside to know Alauna was another second from snapping. He doesn't believe she and Ahlii Parda are related. He won't believe it. He can't. Because...that would mean... _No!_ But...if the SMALLEST, TINIEST, INFINITESIMAL possibility exists, and Alauna kills him; rocket science need not apply as to what will happen to her. He jumped from the rooftop, making his way to the back of the tavern.

 **xxx**

"You wish to kill me, don't you?" Ahlii Parda read her like a book. Alauna cursed herself in her head for being so obvious. Ahlii Parda pushed his boundaries, cupping her cheek and running a thumb under her brimming eye. The fire within them was hypnotizing. The urge to bite him itched her teeth. "To strap me down to a table, take a blade," He held two fingers together, running them from her chin to a thumping artery in her neck, "And slowly remove my flesh from my bones, relishing in my screams as you avoid arteries, denying me the sweet bliss of death." He purred in ecstasy. This was foreplay for him.

"Don't confuse me with you!" She swatted his hand off. He's disgusting. This man disgusted her to no feasible end. Made her want to puke. Her rationality was fading for her carnal desire to leave his carcass for the scarabs. "I've killed before! I will not deny it! The list extends throughout years, and the blood is soaked deep!" She staked a knife in the table, right between his middle and ring finger. Ahlii Parda impassively glanced at the knife, then to the sheath at his hip. She stole his knife, and he was none the wiser. She was interesting. "But do not think for a second that THAT makes us kin! We are not blood! You are nothing to me!"

"Harsh words. Belligerent and bold for one so young." He brazenly wrapped his fingers to her throbbing hand, securing his grip around the knife. His touch was like acid on her skin. "Behind them, however, you try to belie what truth has set in that part of your mind." He moved in close, all the while snaking his fingers to the grip. "You and I are blood, my dear. In lineage and persona, we are mirrors of one another." He wrenched the knife free, putting it back in its sheath. Alauna's trembling hand balled back to a fist. "And I will see it proven before you are whisked away from my era." With that said, Ahlii Parda excused himself from the booth, exiting from her sight and the tavern with his promise polluting the air. Alauna was trapped in a stupor. Sitting there with wide, hate filled eyes boring holes in the floor. The whole booth was shaking. Or was that her? She heard footsteps coming close to her, but did not react to them.

"Alauna?" Her skin jolted. That was Sly. He sat in front of her, shaking her by the shoulders. She looked terrible. She was shaking uncontrollably. The good news if she was in good health. That cut in her thigh would need to be looked at. "Alauna...are you… _"_ Sly wasn't sure if he should ask if she's alright. Physically, yes. She looked okay. But mentally could be an entirely different battle ground. She clapped a hand over her eyes, slowly breathing in and out, revving like a car engine. When she started chuckling, Sly worried something in her had snapped. "Allie? Hey, come on. Let's-"

"I'm gonna kill him..." She sniggered crazily.

"What?" Sly's hands lifted slightly. Alauna lifted her head. Her fingers parted open at one eye. Sly turned to stone by the narrow slit of her pupil.

"Hell as mah witness," Her Irish accent pronounced itself, "Ahlii Parda is mah next target!" And his blood will stain the entire desert before he the last bit of light leaves his eyes.

 **To be continued.**


	22. Demons In The Mist

**Demons**

 **In**

 **The Mist**

 **Moving on.**

 **xxx**

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Rajan's ear piercing bellow brushed a blustery wind over the impassive Ahlii Parda. He wiggled a finger in his ear. The one plus being he cleaned unflattering gunk from his ear.

Ahlii Parda has become - unhealthily - immune to Rajan's torrential outbursts. They are...muffled mumbles dulled to a minor thump in his ears these days. However, the servants fanning him near the waterfront off the pier lacked the same fortitude. They retreated into the cobra baskets where even the cobras were quivering. Don't ask where the ones feeding him went. Ahlii Parda heard several splashes, and then that was it.

"The Cooper Gang was present at Jovial Jasmine's?!" Rajan nearly shredded his turban. He was just at Jovial Jasmine's, exposed and vulnerable to any of their attacks. And he hadn't caught the slightest wind of them. This is not the first time.

"Not just there." Ahlii Parda regretted - with a twinge of humor - to inform him. Rajan's feline eyes narrowed to dots, infused with searing rage. Pale in comparison to his favorite feline. "Several of the members stalked our men to their favorite watering holes. None of them the wiser of their presence." He stroked his chin, grinning maliciously in eager anticipation of their next move. "I encountered one at Jasmine's. I was quite impressed she managed to stay hidden so well with so many eyes." Inebriated eyes, but eyes none the less. "They are quite efficient in their espionage."

Rajan crushed a watermelon to pure juice in his bare hand. "Instead of admiring them, you should be bolstering our defenses for their next assault!" Because there will be a next assault.

"You should show gratitude, Lord Rajan." Ahlii Parda dismissed him. He plucked a chunk of strawberry from the ground, popping it into his mouth. The peak of ripe. "I have ensured your safety, and forced the hand of The Cooper Gang. Salim will have no choice but to emerge from hiding."

"You should have killed the member you had!" Rajan cleaned his hand on a cloth. He cares very little about Salim now. "Because of your arrogance, my plans may very well be foiled!"

"There is no cause for alarm."

"NO CAUSE FOR-" Rajan wrenched the smug leopard off his feet, smashing their noses together. Aside from the claws gripping cloth and chest hairs, and the foul odor of his breath, Ahlii Parda was not impressed by his display of dominance. "In case you haven't sessed it out, your encounter with The Cooper Gang has exposed us!" He threw Ahlii Parda, who easily strafed to stay on his feet. "And they have undoubtedly discovered the location of the thieves! I can hear them mounting up against me now!" His kingdom, everything he has worked to build, is being threatened by these interlopers.

Ahlii Parda smoothed his clothing and fur. In the bowels of his pride, he felt the scars slowly tearing his insides. In his spare time, he will need to remind Rajan as to which peg he truly stands on in this partnership. "If you will permit me a moment of serenity," Rajan growled gutturally, "Then perhaps I will feel obliged to inform you of a plan that I have for our thieving friends. It might even land Salim Al-Kupar in your hands."

That dark cloud over Rajan drew a silver line. Granted, The Cooper Gang themselves are an irritating element in their self. But it is Salim Al-Kupar who is the instrument to their interference. Had he been captured during their siege, his kingdom would not be threatened so vehemently. "What do you have brewing in that twisted mind of yours?"

"Another healthy dose of subterfuge. And a test of The Cooper Gang's swimming abilities." He chuckled.

 **xxx**

Night was already falling on Arabia. The stars and moon were beginning to show, promising a brilliance to shower the ebony night. Sly lugged Alauna's half conscious body back to the safehouse. Sly's dealt punches to Mugshot, but Alauna was not light in the slightest. He won't mention that when she asks about that crick in his neck. Alauna wasn't in the best mood when she returned. The wound in her thigh was relatively clean - thank goodness. Bentley analyzed and inspected the wound and the toxins Ahlii Parda used, checking for side effects or long term damage. By all accounts, it was clean cut. No pun intended. Stitches weren't required, but Alauna may want to invest in a new pair of black cargo pants.

Bob ignored her grim stare and licked her lovingly, eventually earning a smile. She scratched behind his ear, appreciating him worrying about her. Salim cleared his throat, approaching with hands tightly folded behind his back. He was unnerved by what to say to her. "How...um - are you feeling - that is…" He turned red. He doesn't particularly care what becomes of her. He just...wants to make sure that's all.

"I've been better." She spared him the humiliation, winking at him. "Thank you." Truth be told, her inner demon craved blood. And she will have it. In the meantime, her wounded pride needed to take a back seat. There is much to discuss, and time wasn't favoring them. "Sly, this is proof Ahlii Parda is already wise to us. He's showed one of his hands. He's daring us to show ours." She stated ominously.

"Agreed." Sly grimly huffed. The floor was his. Not a single eye diverted from him as he mulled their situation over in his head. Ahlii Parda has all but made a public declaration of war against his team. He's made his move. They have to make theirs. And they have to go purely by the book on this. The Thieves book. "Ahlii Parda has to already know we plan to rescue the thieves, so there's no point in being stealthy. When and how will be our only surprises." He chopped a hand in his palm. He earned nods of agreement. Brows furrowed, knuckles cracked, guns clicked, and knees bounced.

"And we can't make the mistake of waiting until execution day." Murray drew the line in the sand. After Slytunkhamen, Murray isn't in the mood for dodging axes and bows meant to leave people dead and for scavengers. Whenever that day is. They have to assume it will be pushed to the top of the list after their encounter with Ahlii Parda.

"Then we go now!" Carmelita stomped, bearing her canines.

"Now?" Salim gasped.

"Now!" She shot to her feet. Bob pounded fists on his chest, seconding her decision. "We know where the thieves are being held. We know what to expect." She moved to center stage. Sly and Bentley considered her plan. "Either we strike now, or we lose any chances we have at succeeding! We've half our element of surprise! We can't lose ground, too." She was right. The time was now or never.

"Then let's secure our exit first!" Alauna rose, standing beside her full force on her plan. The Cooper Gang, Salim, Bob, and Slytunkhamen were on board. "Bentley, you and Murray fix the van. Get that battery running!"

"We're already on it!" Murray took the transmitters. Bentley was hot on his tail with his tools.

"The rest of us are going after the thieves. But we will require intelligence on these caverns and dungeons before we do anything hasty."

"The library has them!" Salim blurted. "Before Ms. Decibel took over, I was able to go in and I saw schematics of dungeons, irrigation tunnels, etcetera!"

"Ahmen!" Alauna volunteered him.

He craved to get off his feet. "Let us go, Salim!" Slytunkhamen dragged him out, the pair of raccoons gone with the wind.

"The rest of us are going to prepare!" Alauna slapped hands to Bob and Carmelita's shoulders. "This is a bloody war zone now!"

"About time…" Carmelita loaded her pistols chambers, spinning it into place. "I got tired of all this sneaking around."

 **xxx**

Rumors spread like a wildfire about the beating a hefty number of guards took investigating the noise inside the library. Normally, patrols would be doubled or tripled to ensure violent interlopers are discouraged from trying their luck again. Instead, guards avoided the library like the plague. Claiming there are warriors aided by the spirits guarding the condemned space. Orders to expedite the demolition were placed at the top of a stack of paperwork.

This breach in security freed Slytunkhamen and Salim from obstacles. Salim wished a rumor of spirits and demon warriors was spread sooner. His back was killing him from dispatching all those guards. The entrance in was pretty smooth. Salim and Slytunkhamen were inside the study in a matter of seconds. They found the section housing the schematics for floor tiles to building...pleasure devices. Salim and Slytunkhamen will save those for later. In the meantime, they found the blueprints for the prisons trapping the thieves. As the pair was about to check out, they heard voices coming from outside the door.

" _Can't believe WE have to patrol this place._ "

" _That's what we get for drawing short straws._ " Shadows encroached on the floor, passing the threshold. Salim and Slytunkhamen climbed on either side of the door, hiding behind ornamental elephant heads above the arch. A Mandarin and Monitor entered the study with their heads hung low, and dread shaped like a cloud over their heads. "Well, it could be worse." The monitor shrugged.

"Are you kidding?! Anything is better than this?!" The Mandarin shivered. The hollow moans of the wind made his hairs turn silver. Salim and Slytunkhamen shared nods with one another. They clenched their canes tightly. They curled one leg beneath them. One quick strike and the guards were down. "I'd rather be on the barge bringing those thieves to the mainland!" _HUH?!_ Salim and Slytunkhamen paused right as they were rising to jump. Their jaws hung open, and their eyes quaked with shock.

"A barge? I thought the 40 thieve members were being killed in the dungeons and caves."

"So did I. Turns out a last minute request to have them executed at the palace was approved." Salim shook his head with dismay. "They're due to arrive early in the morning."

"Ooh! I feel sorry for those poor bastards." The Monitor cackled. Salim gritted his teeth, squeezing his cane viciously. "Better them than us, huh?" The two threw their heads back laughing. Three swift, pain filled seconds later, the duo was seeing stars. Salim stood over their unconscious forms, huffing searing breath at their blatant joy at his brother's pain.

Slytunkhamen jumped down next, nudging the guards with his foot. They were down. He edged away an inch or two, fearful of Salim's rage. "This was unexpected." He mumbled.

"Unexpected is an understatement!" Salim frothed at the mouth. "We must warn the others!"

 **xxx**

From high above, Salim and Slytunkhamen were spotted leaving the library like bat freshly freed from Hell. Unbeknownst to the pair, a set of golden feline eye drank in their desperate pace, bringing a toothy smile to a pair of cheeks. "And the hook is baited."

 **xxx**

Sly sharpened and polished his cane, fortifying it with a special oil. He'd meditate while polishing to center his Cooper focus. Bob was on his fifth set of 100 pushups, and was raring for his five sets of sit ups. His cane was sharp and ready when he needed it. Carmelita dismantled, cleaned, rebuilt, and dismantled her pistol again. Her ammunition was practically infinite, she just needed to ensure she doesn't over use them. Alauna lathered her swords in oil, running them several times on blocks. He revolvers were cleaned of soot and grim, the ammo prepped for clean shots. The tension was thick in the safehouse. Prepping for the mission to come had everyone on edge, and running ten checks at a time on their equipment. Anything from this point on can happen. They needed to be ready.

"DONE!" Murray and Bentley burst inside the safehouse, hands straight up and glory at their backs. Sly, Carmelita, Bob, and Alauna, paused, blinking in awe of their fatigued forms. Then they cringed when they fell face first to the ground. "Done!" Murray and Bentley muttered again.

"The van's ready to roll?!" Sly asked, helping Bentley back into his chair.

"More than roll!" Murray blurted flamboyantly. Carmelita and Alauna hauled him to his feet. "You guys will never believe what we still had on the van!"

" _My friends!_ " Slytunkhamen's cry interrupted Murray's big announcement. Carmelita patted him on the back. Slytunkhamen and Salim barreled inside, gasping for breath. The lack of schematics in their hands told the others there's trouble. "We have a problem!" That line is the understatement of the previous and next 100 generations. Maybe The Cooper Gang can market it. "The thieves are being moved! They're said to arrive in the city in the morning!"

"What?!" Sly and the others shot to their feet. They'd ask why and how, but something tells them it won't matter if they can't intercept.

"They're arriving by boat to dock at the royal palace!" Salim informed them. He lowered his head with somberly. "If they reach the palace...I'll never see my brothers again." He whimpered.

"That won't happen!" Murray barked, stomping a foot to finalize his claim. "The van is up and running, and the wheels are still modified."

"Modified?" Alauna arched a brow. Carmelita felt a sweat drop scroll her back at what Murray meant.

"Oh, that's right." Bentley sometimes forgets Alauna wasn't always around for their jobs. "I managed to turn the van into a jet for a special heist we pulled a while back."

"Cool." Alauna grinned impishly. She was tingling in anticipation of that ride.

"What is a _jet_?" Salim raised a hand.

"And how can this help us brave the ocean?" Slytunkhamen raised his hand next.

"/And can I eat it?/" Bob's tongue hung out with his hand raised.

"Both too long of explanations, and NO you can't eat it!" Alauna pat the three on their backs. Bob was the only disappointed one. "All you need to know is that you guys are glad you have strong stomachs." She pet their stomachs, making the trio of Coopers nervous.

 **xxx**

(Chalk Talk)

 _ **Operation:**_

 _ **Welcome Back Forty Thieves**_

The Chalk Talk logo was spanned open, and Bentley's most recently - improvised, drop of the hat - drawn up plan was displayed for the team to see. The beginning photo was of a bird's eye view of Arabia. " _Okay, guys! Normally I'd come up with a plan of brilliance, but we only have a few hours left before the thieves arrive. So pay attention._ " He swiped the photo aside, drawing up a photo of the palace across the bay area. A large ship was pulling into the docks. " _As we already know, a boat will be arriving in the morning to deliver the thieves to palace. We need to intercept it before it comes inside the bay._ " The next photo was of the van in mid flight. Murray driving of course. " _Employing the van's flight function-_ "

" _FLI/GHT/?!_ " Slytunkhamen, Bob, and Salim gasped. This was ridiculous. Heavy metal constructs cannot fly. It is unheard of. Pure flight of fantasy!

" _Yes, yes! We'll explain later!_ " Bentley pushed their curiosity aside for a later time. " _As I was saying: employing the van's flight function, Murray and I will fly us out to meet the boat while its still in open ocean! Alauna, we'll be counting on you to take out any obstacles that try to hinder us!"_ Alauna was on top of the van, shooting down booey, cannonball, and guards on the water. _"Providing the perfect cover for the team being drawn in by a small rowboat._ " Attached to the back of the van was a rowboat Bentley and Murray procured earlier on. " _Sly, Carmelita, and Bob, you'll be that team._ " The team of three were released near the boat housing the thieves. " _It'll be up to you three to board the ship, get rid of any guards, and save the thieves._ "

" _Is one little rowboat going to be enough?_ " Sly doubted.

" _I sure hope so._ " Carmelita shuddered.

"/ _I'm still scared of the water!_ /" Bob whimpered.

" _Alright, alright, moving on!_ " Bentley wasn't in the mood for the complaints. " _Murray, Slytunkhamen, and I will be looping around in the van to help where we can. But we'll stop to help unload the last bit of thieves. Our biggest concern will be who joins later in the party._ " Rajan and Ahlii Parda were next in the slides. " _Rajan and Ahlii Parda are sure to catch wind of the commotion and will undoubtedly come to meet us!_ " A random team was paired up against the destructive duo. " _Once that happens, we need to take them out! End their tyranny once and for all, and beat Rajan back to the future! Now let's get going!_ "

(Chalk Talk End)

 **xxx**

The Arabian night was starting to retreat to the west as morning broke from the east. The tints of sun were barely beginning to outline the ocean's horizon, creating a serene grey hue in the sky. The stars refused to dwindle so easily, therefore kept to the pacified ocean alight. A thick, morning fog blanketed the open ocean. So thick scimitars would bounce right off if they tried to cut through. Breaking free of the merciless bank, a baker's dozen of rowboats in a triangle formation emerged. Mandarins at the aurs while Monitors mounted at the bow canons, the small squad leisurely paddled the waters, not wanting to cause a stir in the stagnant, silent morning. Hard set glares pierced the thick fog, ears strained to hear leagues beneath the ocean - every sense was heightened beyond its limit, scouting for the slightest awry signal of sabotage. Appearing behind those rowboats, two large ships bobbed listlessly, their masts pulling where the wind pushed, guiding them amicably toward their intended port. Siamese Cats patrolled the decks, their fingers loose while tight so the need for aerial defense of close quarters combat was prepared for. Behind the two large ships came one more barge. On board that ship, an extreme number of guards and patrols were on board. Mounted at cannons inside and out. Monitors, Siamese, and Mandarins flooding the deck.

All was quiet on the Arabian waters. Too quiet. Have the troopers in the armada were on pins and needles, reeling to the brink of insanity. Splashes from marine life made a handful mount the cannons. One soldier actually launched a flare at a bird squawking overhead. Rumors of The Cooper Gang and the brawl in the library seeded spine numbing fears in the crew. The idea that the ocean itself was ready to swallow them for that gang wasn't too farfetched. The bay coming into view managed to relax the squadron in waves. The palace was just on the other side of the mountainous ridge encompassing in a crescent around the bay. Sweat was wiped from the brow, bottoms sat to the deck and legs were kicked up, and spines were relaxed in a comfortable slouch. The day was nearly over. Once the thieves were dropped off, then they'd be able to go on their merry way.

Shrill, piercing sounds agitated the surrounding ears. It reminded the guards of those bugs that come around during the summer. The sounds seemed to be coming from all around them, or right next to them. Through the fog, they saw nothing. The sound was growing louder, evolving to a shrill whir, unlike anything any of them have ever heard. Crossbows, swords, and gas guns were raised at the ready. Eyes darted left, right, up and down, scanning the fog for the source of the sound. The fog was gradually breaking apart the closer they drew to the bay. Strobing blue lights emerged straight ahead, burning away at the fog guarding the bay.

"What is that?"

"I don't know?"

"Is it torches?"

"Perhaps large fireflies."

Questions and guessing of what was greeting them ahead caused a mass of incoherent murmurs, and a wave if pointing. Eyes squinted hard to discern what manner of sorcery was cutting through the thick fog. A bluish mass started to form amid the fog. The guards grew timid in the face of this mysterious force. The dense wall finally broke. Screams of utter horror echoed for miles as a heavily armored chariot flew - ACTUALLY FLYING - straight for their hoard. Blue fire spewing from the sides, like salamanders at its beck and call. Bodies hit the decks hard, diving out of the way of the demon, their hands wrapping to their cowering heads.

"WHAT DEVILRY?!"

"IT IS A SPIRIT!"

"THE GODS ARE PUNISHING US!"

Captain to deckhand to guards who were meant to have nerves of steel whimpered and cried like children. Fingers pointing to the looping around monstrosity. The urge to leap into the sea and swim for their worthless lives was tempting.

"STAND YOUR GROUND, YOU WORTHLESS MONGRELS!"

"RESTRAIN YOURSELVES!"

"STOP RETREATING!"

Several captains hollered at their weak kneed crew, lifting their weapons to the sky. Beady eyes searing with a fire that would rival the underworld bore holes into the creation circling the skies, attempting to make the very ocean quake. They will not falter. Not when a great triumph is at hand. Especially not to some ridiculously colored chariot with flames drawn on its sides. The guards picked themselves up and came to arms. As the piece of devilry flew past them over their heads again, they spotted figures riding on top.

 **xxx**

"AAAHHH…" Salim screamed at the top of his lungs as the van was curved into a sharp incline. The world was whisking by in a blur, molding together like a painting doused by water. He held onto Alauna's leg for dear life, unable to fathom how she could be standing up there laughing her head off. He was whipping side to side on the van's top while she was steady.

"HA-HA-HA! OH YEAH!" She held her hair as if holding a cowboy hat. Her guns in hand and ready to unleash Holy Hell. This was invigorating. Absolutely a once in a lifetime feeling. The wind in her hair, the clouds so close she could touch them, the world cowering below Murray and Bentley's awesome ride. "BENTLEY, YOU COME UP WITH THE BEST TOYS!" She cackled. Save for Murray and Bentley, the others began to wonder if Alauna lost her mind.

Slytunkhamen was holding onto whatever was at hand for his very life. Four walls surrounded them, but falling out was still a possibility in his mind. Salim wrapped his whole body to Alauna's leg, the wind blowing fearful tears from his drying eyes. "I REALLY, REALLY HATE THIS PLAN!" He shrieked.

"MAN UP, SALIM! THIS IS THE BEST PART!" Alauna howled with laughter.

"YOU ARE INSANE!"

"The stories I could tell!" That was a moment for another time. She brought his binocucom to her eyes, scanning the tiny division at the vanguard of the three ships. The guards aboard were coming to arms. "I count 13 rowboats! Two guards each! Cannons on all!"

"We have to clear those guards out of the water before we bring the others!" Bentley ordered. He anticipated this sort of obstacle. "If we don't, Sly and the others won't have a chance!" That probability was strengthened as the rowboats unleashed cannon fire upon the airborne van, narrowly missing as it was too fast to pin down. And Murray was too skilled at driving for their primitive weapons.

"Then bring us in and I'll clean house!" Alauna twirled her guns, locking and loading the dials at 40%. One shot for each boat, sinking them and their hosts.

"YOU GOT IT, GIRLY!" Murray spun the wheel hard. Slytunkhamen and Salim yelped as the van veered in a sharp, descending curl. The van wrenched straight at 90 degrees. The propulsion wheels tore the watery surface asunder at both sides, darting the van for the aligned row of sitting ducks.

The rowboats were completely helpless. They weren't going to turn in time. "FIRE!" Captains from the ship's roared. Broadside cannons exploded. Arching to the sky, and aimed in a straight shot, cannons rained down mercilessly. Murray fiercely bobbed and weaved the van between the cannons. Alauna dropped to her stomach, holding Salim close. Shrill shrieks reverberated the windows. The cannons whisked by, their heat grazing the van and the pair riding it. Splashing water fizzled heatedly. Half to a full dozen of cannons mounted to both sides of the three ships, hundreds of cannon balls theirs to use.

The cannon fire halted, but not before Murray was forced to fly right by the rowboats, come around from the other side. He drifted on the ocean, drawing a watery wall in his wake, avoiding coming within alignment to the port side cannons. The van was thrown into it's cicl too strong. The full weight was driving it. Murray was unable to stop the van now. The rowboat guards were already mounted up. Soon the van would be in their sights. It would be a battle of quick draws. "ALAUNA!" He barked. He wrenched the van around, coasting it on its side, bringing it to meet its fate as the first rowboat of guards took aim.

Alauna's eyes narrowed to slits. She got onto one knee. A quick exhale, and a strong inhale, she aligned both guns to the encroaching rowboats. The first boat fired. In slow motion the cannon was coming straight for them. Slytunkhamen and Salim closed their eyes. Bentley and Murray looked on steadfast. "NOW!" Alauna snarled. Her first shot pierced the cannonball, reducing it the spattering rubble. The second came instantly after, burning a huge hole in the bottom of that tiny rowboat. None of the guard comprehended what happened, only that their boat was sinking. Alauna grinned crazily. "My turn…" The world sped up, and her Holy Hellfire would bring divine intervention. One! Two! One! Two! The next boat, onto the next, onto the next - Alauna simultaneously shattered the cannonballs and sank the forefront of ships. Guards jumped onto one another, squealing as the water flooded their tiny decks, and brought them to the mercy of the encroaching sharks. Or, if they couldn't swim, dragged them to the bottom of the ocean. Alauna twirled her guns, crossing the barrels and blowing off the steam in pride. The aghast pack of guards on the larger ships were rooted.

Salim and Slytunkhamen had just enough time to marvel at her inhuman accuracy. Murray regaining control of the van jerked them from their stupor. "The waters are clear, My Lovelies!" Alauna announced, licking her lips hungrily. She gave a mocking bow to the ogling crowd. "I'm sure Carmelita and the others are itching to get started!"

"Alright! Let's go get them!" Bentley authorized. Murray didn't have to be told twice. He turned the van into a 180 degree loop and vanished into what little fog wasn't destroyed.

An eerie silence made ears all around start ringing. The guards on the remaining ships lurched to the edges, snarling like animals to find that contraption and its fireball shooting toady. They can't escape. Not from them, not from Arabia, NOT FROM ANYONE! They won't be made fools of by these trespassers of an era. Crossbows, gas guns, swords - everyone was ready and waiting to spill blood. Bumps scaled their skin as that shrill sound reverberated the air again. Just as anticipated, coming in from the straight ahead, was that infernal chariot, ghosting their waters. Their two riders were still on its hull. Soon the ocean would be their tomb.

"READY BROADSIDE AND FRONT CANNONS!" The captains howled.

Murray and Bentley steeled themselves, leaning forward with stern glares, wanting their enemies to see they will not be deterred. Slytunkhamen's own spine was strengthening in the wake of his friends' courage. He was itching to leap out and dispatch the thugs himself. The same cannot be said for Salim. He vomited several time already. Luckily, said bile clear missed the ride alongs in the bumpy rowboat tied to the van by a rope. Sly, Carmelita, and Bob were raring to go, able to split the seabed with how excited they were. The van provided the perfect cover from prying eyes. Before they're spotted, it will be too late.

"That ship, right there, with the most guards!" Bentley directed everyone's attention to the third ship lagging at the rear, and drifting further away by the second. "That has to be where the thieves are being kept!" Salim's stomach hardened. He grit his teeth. The sight of the encroaching front two ships halted his personal vendetta. "Alauna, Salim - the other ships are likely to catch wind of the others while they're rescuing the thieves!"

"Then this is where we get off!" Alauna declared. She stomped twice. Murray responded by raising the van a ways from the water. Sly, Bob, and Carmelita crouched low, using the thicket of mist to hide. "You ready, Salim?!"

"Not especially!" He whimpered, wobbling as he rose to his feet. The wind was more powerful up there than he realized. "But for my brothers, I would brave Hell and its reaches!"

"Just the answer I'd expect from a Cooper!" She slapped him on the back.

The van sped past the forefront cannons. Guards at the intersecting broadsides were rooted in shock at their brazen intrusion. Salim and Alauna got in a swift running start, leaping onto the decks, rolling into a stance with sword and cane drawn. Smiles on their faces. Eyes glued to the missed the boat being dragged by the van. Prying eyes at the third ship caught wind of the van. Murray dove off to the side, running the wheels alongside the ship. Sly cut the rowboat free, and Bob used his claws to bring their ride to an abrupt halt.

"We're golden!" Sly whispered in the coms.

" _Alright! We'll help distract the other ships!_ " Bentley confirmed as Murray brought the van back around in a loop. " _You guys get the thieves and we'll come pick you up!_ "

"Roger that. See you when we're done!" Carmelita affirmed. Bob dug his claws into the hull. He motioned his head. Carmelita and Sly grabbed hold of his back, nodding for him to proceed.

 **xxx**

"Are we sure we should leave them?" Slytunkhamen does mean to doubt Bentley, but he fears his friends may be vastly outnumbered. Sly has backup for when the heat mounts. But Salim and Alauna were on their own.

"They'll be fine!" Bentley reassured him. There aren't a group of people he has more faith in than those he works with. "Besides, they won't have a chance if the other ships decide to shoot them down!" Murray nodded, knowing that meant to draw enemy fire when he could.

 **xxx**

The guards aboard scrambled like mice exposed to a blinding light. They followed the flying van, hollering like animals for it to come closer so they may tear it apart. Raging cannon fire continued with its poor aim and worse impact. The ocean was receiving the worst of the assault. The poor fish and other marine life are being evicted due to heavy pieces of gunnery crushing their homes. As the guards maintained heated focus on the devilry circling above, none of them were aware of the cave raccoon and his companions crawling on deck. Sly, Carmelita, and Bob each managed to snag a guard and throw them overboard. Their screams whirled bodies, arousing contemptuous barks at the pirates on their deck.

"Now, now, boys!" Carmelita chortled. She loaded her gun, spinning it to an aim. "Let's not do anything you'll regret!" She winked. The guards pulled weapons from thin air, squaring up for a round. She shrugged the threat off. She was bored on the ride over anyway.

 **xxx**

A boot to the face, punches in the gut, swords cutting slacks and leaving guards in their embarrassing undergarments. Alauna decimated the onslaught ambushing her from every direction. From the first strike she was an unstoppable juggernaut. Roundhouse kicks followed by two pronged punches, concluding with a swift stab in the gut and a slice of the neck. The Siamese breached the gaps, coming in fierce and fast with their swords slashing for the thin arteries in her neck. Alauna bent backwards, whistling at the breeze that relieved her bangs of split ends. She whipped her body around sideways, sticking out her foot and tripping a charging cat. She flipped her shoto so the blade was parallel with her forearm. She twisted back, deadlocking with a blade meant to slice her in half. She snickered boastfully at the furious Siamese guard, barely needing to exert herself in order to defend against her. Her moment was spoiled by rabid hisses approaching from the other side. Two swords were raised overhead, slicing the air clean for Alauna's skull. She extended her main katana, crossing blades with the second foolish kitten to come at her. Lizards and Mandarins were surrounding her, advancing while her hands were full. Alauna held her breath and dropped down. The two cats at her sides stumbled and cracked skulls, falling unconscious. Alauna swept her foot, spinning round and swapping her swords for guns. The lizards and mandarins encroaching stopped with their hands raised. They barely managed a step back. Ear breaking eruptions of fire pierced their chests, snuffing their lives out like candles in the midst of a hurricane. Alauna brought her guns to her lips, puffing the smoke from the barrels. Her expression towards the dead cohorts as blank as a wall void of portraiture. The guards still standing were edging away from her, trapped in horror of her. The devil's acolyte come to meet them. To fight and go down with pride, or retreat and face punishment by Ahlii Parda. Which was the lesser of two evils.

Over of the next ship, Salim was completely surrounded. His eyes darted left to right, brows furrowing as the space was closed. Mandarin and lizard cackling as they narrowed the raccoons escape options. Salim stooped low, bearing his teeth, stretching his stiff tail. He wriggled the fingers of his free hand, making a fist and threatening with claws he does not have. The light reflected off the fined curvature of his sickle cane. The ornate head capable of cutting steel to strips of worthless scrap. Imagine what he could do to these guards. He did not have to speculate for long. A mandarin challengingly pounded his chest, storming with his fists raised. Salim dropped forward, bucking his foot into the mandarin's manhood. He crumbled in seconds. Two lizards darted from either side of him. Salim swept the first lizard's feet from under him with his cane, coming around full circle into a jump. The second lizard gaped in dismay as he received a swift crack on the head. Salim's brash actions issued every man in range to attack. Salim's brow knit sharply. A cane butt to the throat, an uppercut to a chin, a full circle sweep of his foot. The guards fell before the incomparable might of Salim Al-Kupar. The blood of his proud Cooper Lineage fueling his strikes. Guards were attempting to sneak from above, sliding down on ropes from the masts. Salim stepped from lizard to Mandarin, launching himself off a stack of crates and grabbing hold of a rope. With his Cobra Climbed he scaled the rope like lightning, baffling the guards as he met them. Salim jumped to the next rope, throwing the full brunt of his weight to a swift double kick, sending a lizard hurtling through the floorboards. The rope started to swing. Salim threw his weight about, running kicks off the surrounding guardsmen, and ending their suspension by cutting their ropes. Their landing was less than pleasant. Never will Arabia forget what becomes of those who dare to harm those he cares for.

Salim waved his cane, signaling all was clear on his end. The same was said for Alauna. Murray gave them a thumbs up and picked them up. Salim found riding on the top of a rocketing chariot invigorating. He lingered on top with Alauna, wanting to bat away any sort of armament that came their way. That just left Sly and the others. Speaking of which, it was really quiet over on their ship.

 **xxx**

The guards were rather brave to take on Carmelita and her friends. Put up a rather nice fight too. But, as expected, they were no match for them. Bob easily threw half of the forces overboard, slamming fists and catapulting them into the ocean. Sly effortlessly hooked them by the pants, playing deck bowling and earning strikes all around. Carmelita's trigger finger was too quick, rendering those who came at her unconscious with coupled shots. Maybe Bentley should have traded their spots with Salim and Alauna. In a matter of...two minutes...the deck was clear of guards. This was way too easy, and not as much fun. Half of them jumped ship when the tide started to turn. But the mission wasn't done yet. The thieves have to be rescued. THEN they gloat.

"Bob, keep watch!" Sly ordered. Bob saluted, then dropped to all fours, growling like an attack dog. "Carmelita, let's go." Sly motioned his head. He broke the locks on the deck hatch with his cane. Carmelita threw the heavy hatch open. She and Sly readied their weapons, expecting a surprise. No one was waiting on the dim staircase. Carmelita entered first, lightly squeezing the trigger for an illuminating swell. The lower deck was smaller than what the outside implied. Nothing but pickled eggs, rice, and other non perishables. Sacks of grain, flour, and sugar, and stocks of fruit. Garlic hanging from the ceiling smacked the sides of their heads.

A second staircase was found at the end. Sly and Carmelita stalked further below. The sense of isolation was thick. As if they were leagues below sea level. It was unnerving. Not as unnerving as the coagulated salt from the leaking in water caked to the walls and floors. The rusted shut cages were equally disgusting. Even the spiderwebs coating them were tarnished by the stuff. But that was just about all that was in the two rows of cages. Bugs, water...and barrels. Lots of barrels. Gunpowder by the smell of it. Carmelita and Sly mouthed utter confusion. The pressed their cheeks to the cages, wondering if the thieves were hiding behind or inside the barrels. Buried in the powder. Fate worse than death. They called out, pleading for someone to respond. Every time, silence was their only response. And the smell of the gunpowder was growing more pungent the further in they went. After a couple minutes of searching, Carmelita and Sly had knots in their stomachs. The thieves weren't there. And, by the looks of it, they never were.

The two raced above deck. Bob was about to pounce when he saw them and their frantic faces. "The thieves aren't here!" Carmelita snarled.

"/WHAT?/" Bob's mouth hit deck.

" _What?!_ " Bentley howled over the comes.

"They're not on the ship!" Sly slapped his thighs, hating that they were duped like amateurs. "It's empty! Save for the 20 barrels of gunpowder down there!"

 **xxx**

"Gunpowder…" Bentley mumbled. And so much of it. _Why would there be-_

"BENTLEY! LOOK!" Slytunkhamen screeched. Heads turned to where Slytunkhamen pointed. "At the bay entry!" Sly and others glanced over. What they saw replaced their blood with ice.

At the edge of the bay, where the fog remained and was at its thickest, the outline of a ship was shadowing the haze. As if Hell itself rose one final juggernaut from the darkest fathoms to do battle. The wall of mist slowly shed as the bow's pike sheared a path through to the bay battle field. Heavily plated platinum silver and jet black armor safeguarded the fragile hull. The Black masts, a beacon of pure terror, were donned by the mark of a leopard. Or, as Alauna's widening eyes came to recognize as, the coat of arms for her family. The differences are there, but the similarities are drastically pronounced. A sideways view of a roaring feline within a crescent moon, gnarly claws outside the crescent points. Arabian symbols written within the spanned moon's back. Binocucoms snapped over eyes, zooming in to the point where they would break the deck. Chills scaled their backs finding Enigma at the helm. Standing on either side of her, watching the spectacle unfold with menacing smiles, were Rajan and Ahlii Parda.

"Oh my goodness!" Bentley shrieked. The same thought was echoing in The Cooper Gang's minds as they staggered. Gunman aboard were loading and preparing the cannons. The cannons aligned with the opposing ship. The ship, mind you, carrying 20 barrels of fresh gunpowder. "It's a trap! GUYS, YOU HAVE TO GET AWAY!"

 **xxx**

Sly, Bob, and Carmelita raced to where they left their boat. They shouldn't be surprised to not find it where they left it. A frayed rope - likely cut during the fight - wafted in the wind. Their bow was miles away.

"OUR RIDE IS GONE!" Sly panicked. And, last her checked, none of them could swim.

 **xxx**

"ON MY WAY!" Murray practically threw the van into a spin. Salim and Alauna held on by the van's roof bar. The jets pushed to their maximum on the water, almost launching in the recoil.

Alauna loaded her guns, raised the output dial to 60%, and fired relentlessly at Ahlii Parda's cannons. The air curved her shots, guiding them for their mounted targets. The fiery bolts extinguished to hisses, rebounding without leaving so much as a scorch mark. "WHAT?!" Her spirit left her. Nothing's ever withstood her bolts. NOTHING! She'd try again, but her guns were overheated.

 **xxx**

Ahlii Parda was able to see her dismay from afar, savoring it like sweet candy. "As expected of my delightful futuristic counterpart." He mumbled under his breath. He caressed a crate with the remnants of the alloy used in making the cannons. Impervious to all extreme heat complications. She favors those guns. Is a fantastic shot under extreme circumstances. No surprise the Cooper Gang relied on her to repel incoming fire. A shame their plan is falling through the cracks. Not even the speed of their miraculous machine will be enough. As proof, "READY!" He barked. His crew readied the cannons. "AIM!" He threw his hand up. The corrupted vessel was in their sights. Sly, Bob, and Carmelita froze with terror.

"NO!" Murray and Bentley creid.

"BOB!" Slytunkhamen threw himself forward.

"CARMELITA!" Salim wailed, falling to his knees.

"SLY!" Alauna reached a hand.

"FIRE!" Ahlii Parda howled. In slow motion, half a dozen cannonballs streaked the bridging gap. Fiery clouds of smoke trailing at their rotating heels. Mouths fell agape in imploring cries for the cannons to fail. Eyes flooded with tears, shrinking to dots. Sly lunged for a petrified Carmelita, his arms barely able to scoop her up. Bob grabbed them both, darting for the opposite end of the ship. The cannons shredding the ship's hull, striking the loads of gunpowder below. There was a moment of silence. Then ship exploded into thousands of splinters. A mushroom cloud of dank smoke shot to the air, raining fiery planks of wood and metal to the ocean.

 **To be continued.**

 **Hey guys, I wanna ask you something.**

 **Which Cooper would you like to make an appearance? Aside from the ones who appeared in the previous game, name a Cooper you would like to see appear. In a filler or main chapter - name one Cooper you'd like to see, and a Cooper you'd like to have dragged along for the ride.**


	23. End of Our Arabian Night

**End of Our Arabian Night**

 **Moving on.**

 **xxx**

"READY…" Sly, Bob, and Carmelita were sitting ducks in the middle of the Arabian bay aboard the floating decoy. Salim, Murray, Bentley, Slytunkhamen, and Alauna were rooted on the soaring van, gawking on in horror. "AIM!" From the reaches of the fog, a new ship emerged as if Hell itself conceived it. Cannon's mounted, Rajan, Enigma, and Ahlii Parda on board - Attempts to forestall their attack failed in an instant. And now, that failure will cost them dearly. "FIRE!" Deafening explosions, like thunder, beat the air. Rows of smoke streaked at an arch above the crystal blue waters. Balls of intense fire cut clean through the thin layers of mist. And, in the shortest instance, the decoy ship idling in the bay, stocked stem to stern with barrels loaded to the brim gunpowder, fiery planks of wood rained down from a mushroom cloud. The ship trapping Bob, Sly, and Carmelita reduced to a plethora of splinters scattered about the shark infested waters. The victorious smirks of Ahlii Parda, Rajan, and Enigma menacing beacons across the bay.

"SLY!"

"CARMELITA!"

"BOB!"

Bentley, Alauna, and Murray cried for their friends. The smoke was too thick to make out if they escape by the skin of their teeth...or were bits across the water. What was horrifyingly clear, however, was that Ahlii Parda's ship was preparing for another strike. The cannons are invulnerable to Alauna's blasts. And if one of those cannon balls hits the van...

"Bring the van around!" Bentley roared, clawing at Murray's arm. He didn't need to tell him twice. Murray was already veering in a sharp 180 turn, splitting the watery surface for the sinking ship.

 **xxx**

Ahlii Parda's fangs showed as he snickered under his breath. As predictable as the Cooper Gang is foolish. After the successful ambush they freely waltzed into, Ahlii Parda hoped they would at least display moderate hesitation before playing into his hands for a second time. Oh well. The Nobility of heroes and companions is a shared weakness. One he intends to make them pay for having. And he will accompany a harsh lesson for those noble, weak fools what becomes of those who challenge him.

"Captain, can you make the shot?" Ahlii Parda hummed menacingly.

"Yes, My Lord!" The Captain answered with a salute.

"Then fire when you are ready." He folded his hands behind his back. The Captain nodded firmly, and then confirmed with the armsman. The wick was lit, and it was a matter of angling.

 **xxx**

Murray must have circled the inferno for a third time. The smoke stack wasn't thinning, even with the wind, making spotting Sly or the other difficult. Although, slowly but surely, Bentley and the others gave in to despair and panic. If Sly, Carmelita, and Bob couldn't be seen above the water, then they were...underneath it. And last time anyone checked, neither of them knew how to swim.

"WE HAVE TO GET DOWN THERE!" Alauna begged, hammering on the van's roof. Salim clawed grooves in the van roof, biting his lip to not cry out so hard that it was bleeding.

"MURRAY! DIVE!" Bentley screamed.

"YOU GOT IT CHUM!" Murray pulled the van up sharp and over into a steep drop. Alauna and Salim held onto the bars for dear life. Bentley and Slytunkhamen braced themselves, feeling their bodies lift.

Right as the van made the curve, Salim was overcome with dread by what he saw from the corner of his eye. For a second he thought it was his stomach coming to meet his throat. At this point, he wishes it was the steep decline the van was about to fall into. One of the cannons on Ahlii Parda's ship angled differently from the rest. Aiming directly at the van one moment, and then in the van's route next. "MURRAY! LOOK OUT!" He cried. But it was too late.

The deafening boom of the cannon turned everyone to stone. All heads turned to the side. As the van dove closer for the shipwreck, the fiery glow of the incoming cannon hued the van. Murray, the miraculous driver that he is, spun the wheel as hard as he could, nearly wrenching it out of its place, and veered the van off side. The van tilted on its side. The cannon ran along the very side. Murray grimaced feeling the searing heat break past the door, brushing his skin. Bentley and the others cringed, unable to watch as the cannon's spiraling sides grazed the hull, and as their stomachs threatened to smear on that paint job. The van completed a double roll, narrowly escaping the cannon, and the jets pushed on the thin stream of mist and air to level out. Murray cheered loudly for his dazed chums, shouting that nothing can ground THE MURRAY! A short lived cheer as a second cannon rammed the back, taking off the bumper, sending the van into a full spin. The Captain and his armsman huffed the cannon smoke, then bumped fists.

"WE'RE GOING DOWN!" Murray howled, unable to stabilize the van. For dramatic affect, a mayday alarm blared. "EVERYBODY HOLD ON! THIS IS GOING TO GET ROUGH!" Murray, by sheer force of will, was forcing the van for a path of land to crash on. It would be close. The van hadn't entirely stopped spinning. Throwing itself into dips and turns on a whim. Below, Ahlii Parda, Rajan, and Enigma watched humorously as the van passed them overhead, and the feeble attempts the gang used to get back on course.

Salim's grip was starting to weaken. His body too trashed to hold on any longer. He yelped as his body slowly started to slide. He wildly scrambled to stay on, legs halfway off kicking on the air. "SALIM! HOLD ON!" Alauna dove and grabbed him by the wrists. Her feet interlocked with the bars as anchor. Murray wrenched the van too sharply to one side. Alauna's feet lost grip and she and Salim tumbled off the edge. "AHHH!"

"I'VE GOT YOU!" Murray let go of the wheel. He broke the door open, holding on tight as he caught Alauna by the foot. Bentley and Slytunkhamen dove for the wheel, taking over getting stable. The van threw itself into flips. Murray's fingers loosened on the van. "UH OH! I'M SLIPPING!"

"MURRAY!" Bentley and Slytunkhamen cried. With a terrified howl, Murray's fingers slipped and the dangling trio plummeted to a painful landing on a wooden deck. Murray, Alauna, and Salim groaned at their smushed pile, then swallowed massive lumps at the hosts greeting them.

"Welcome, Lady and Gentlemen." Ahlii Parda purred. Rajan twirled his staff, patting it in his palm. Enigma cracked her bull whip. Posturing at its finest. "So glad you could join us."

 **xxx**

By some miracle, Bentley and Slytunkhamen managed to land the van on a patch of beach. Not where they hoping, but it would do. Bentley and Slytunkhamen threw themselves to the sweet, soft sanded land. As much as they wanted to let the buzzing in their nerves die down, their friends were in danger. At least the ones that were in eye shot. Sly and the others were still nowhere to be seen.

"Please tell me this contraption of yours will still fly!" Slytunkhamen begged. He cannot sit idly by any longer.

"We're good! The van can take a beating, Slytunkhamen. Trust me. It's crashed through metal and survived." That's a story for another time, and Slytunkhamen's inquisitive stare told him he would be telling it. Bentley used the x-ray on his binocucom to inspect the van inside and out. The exception of the huge dent in the back, the van was mint. "Yeah, nothing's broken or severely damaged. The rockets just need a jolt."

Slytunkhamen wasn't sure what that meant, but he was ready to help if he asked. The first step, easing the minds of his friends. He touched the tiny device inside his ear. He definitely was envious of the future generations. "Hello! Hello! If you can hear me, Bentley and I are okay! We will be airborne again soon."

 **xxx**

Murray, Salim, and Alauna, rigid in their fighting stances, fought to not show relief at Bentley and Slytunkhamen's survival. They crash they saw petrified them. They refused to grant Ahlii parda and his pests further glee at their torment. " _We cannot tell, however, how Sly and the others are faring. But we are willing to wager they are in danger._ "

"We're no better." Alauna muttered under her breath. She clutched her twin swords, grinding her palms to the hilt. Salim itchily twirled his cane in his grip, wanting to send Ahlii Parda hurtling into the ocean. Murray, however, just wanted to punch those snide smirks off of Enigma and Rajan.

"Well, well, if it isn't the fat, pathetic weakling!" Rajan snickered with a theatrical snarl.

"Guess that makes you a downright disappointment!" Murray cracked his knuckles, bearing his own teeth. "I beat you like a whole drumset last time I saw you!" Salim and Alauna kept him at bay. No need to start a fight...yet. "Can't believe Penelope brought you on board! What? Was Arpeggio busy?!" He chuckled. Enigma and Rajan enjoyed the INSIDE joke of his insult.

"Salim…" Ahlii Parda removed his hood. His ears stood erect like the horns of a devil, "So wonderful to see you again, My Brother."

"YOU ARE NO BROTHER OF MINE!" Salim snarled animally, venom dripping with each word. The way the sun trace his cane made it sharp enough to cut someone just by looking at it. "You are a traitor! A liar! A MURDERER!"

"A company the Coopers naturally prefer." He slyly grinned toward Alauna. "Thieves and Hunters - we walk hand in hand as two sides of the same coin." He chuckled menacingly. Chills scaled Salim's spine.

Murray and Alauna, though they wanted to back Salim, were preoccupied with the baddies standing across from them. Alauna narrowed her slit eyes to Enigma, boring holes in her emerald eyes. "Hello, Enigma." She growled deeply.

"Hello there." She purred in response. Alauna would like nothing more than to cut a nice thin line through her entire smirking face. Watch her bleed out. She'd like to, but there's the matter of two other felines guarding her. "Nice try with your little pyrotechnics. Guess trumps cards fail eventually."

"They didn't FAIL, Wretch!" She shot her glare to Ahlii Parda. "The alloy of the cannons! It's Pyranium, isn't it?" He smirked at her knowledge.

"Pyranium?" Murray and Salim arched a brow.

Alauna traded her lengthy katana for one of her guns, showing off the body. "Traces were used to make my guns! It's what allows such heated concentrations to be fired!" And, as an interesting little Easter Egg for history, Arabia seems to be the conceiver of the alloy. "What would be a more perfect defense?"

"Clever child." Ahlii Parda praised. "Although, we know this incredible alloy," He pat the cannon lovingly, "As the Metal of Malakbel."

"The sun god of Arabia." Salim hummed ominously. A proper name for something that is resistant to the hottest temperatures.

"And very soon, Salim, all of Arabia shall feel the full wrath of the sun god."

 **xxx**

The ocean was pacifying after that bombarding fray. Cannon fire ceased, and the decimated ship was already half way beneath the watery surface. The bay wasn't too deep, but it'll serve the purpose of claiming another vessel of man.

As the calm in the bay settled, bubbles ravaged the salty surface. Three barrels sprouted up. The tops were unscrewed and thrown. Bob, Carmelita, and Sly gasped for air, spitting up water, seaweed, and whatever else was in that water. They coughed on the salt in their lungs being irritated by the fresh air. If ever they see their lives flash before their eyes again, they are ordering popcorn, drinks, and a lot more bladder room. That was the closest they'd ever come to death.

"You okay?!" Sly's voice cracked as he grabbed hold of Carmelita.

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine!" Waterlogged, but she'll be fine. She pulled her barrel closer to his, snuggling her head to his chest.

Sly held her close, inhaling her scent and running his hands down her back. "Good idea, Bob, throwing us into the barrels!" Bob gave him a thumbs up. His tongue was hanging out. Harsh breaths trying to spit up the water in his throat. Sly couldn't have thought up a better rescue if he tried. Least of all in the fifth of a second like Bob did.

Last second before the gunpowder had a chance to ignite, Bob threw Sly and Carmelita into barrels, and managed to dive into one himself. The blast launched them a few yards, and the falling masts trapped them under the water as they sank. It took a bit of wiggling, but the three managed to free their barrels and here they are floating. And with sharks in hot pursuit for a meal. Likely drawn in by the explosion. Sharks. Not known for their smarts, but notorious for their curiosity. Like aquatic cats. Either way, they needed to get out of the water. Those barrels they were floating in weren't secure.

"THERE!" Carmelita paddled for a large raft of debris. It wasn't land, but it would serve a purpose in the end. "Hurry! Before we're lunch!" Bob was practically emptying the ocean trying to reach it. After last time, he was no fan of the water. Less than he's ever been.

As they paddled for safety, Sly got on the coms. Good thing they were waterproof. Otherwise he'd have to build a signal fire. "Hey guys! We're okay! But we're going to be a while!" Short, sweet, and to the point. Especially since the sharks aren't going to wait for him to give a long, drawn out debriefing.

 **xxx**

Shared releif took some edge off the Cooper Gang members. Bentley was able to work on the van with a clearer head. Slytunkhamen and Salim were relieved beyond words. Murray and Alauna felt their fists ball with all new strength. A game changer is forming in their favor.

"How you fools managed to best me all those years ago boggles my mind endlessly!" Rajan snarled, cracking his fingers. Those claws of his wanted to shred Murray to pieces. "This time around shall be different! You will not flood my temple, or ruin my operations in order to diminish my fighting capacity!" He vowed. New adventure, new Rajan, same old grandiose speeches of his superiority.

"A week or a thousand years, Kitty Cat!" Murray howled, pounding a fist into his palm. "You'll never stand a chance against me!" Enigma and Alauna worked on holding the riled pair back. Although, watching them bludgeon each other will be a show of the century.

"I must admit," Ahlii Parda inserted himself in between the behemoths. He will let them have their moment, but not before he has his, "This little ambush of yours was quite the strategy. Take on the vanguard, distract them from your sneaky band on the rowboat." He gestured mockingly to the destruction on the water. White powder discoloured by the salts spread with the current. "But it all fell apart with the gunpowder. The mist served in my favor. As everything inevitably does. Is that not correct, Salim?" He chuckled.

"Enough of this! Where are the thieves?!" Salim roared. He will not be taunted by this monster any longer. Either he answers now, or he does so from the bottom of the bay.

"Where are they?" Rajan laughed. He moved for their side of the boat, snickering as they parted like ants about to be crushed. "Why, they're right over there." Salim, Murray, and Alauna shared confused glances, meandering to the side. They leaned over, focusing where Rajan was sweeping his hand toward. Murray and Alauna lost color.

"Bentley…" Murray swallowed a huge lump. "Do you see what we see?"

" _I do...and I wish I couldn't._ "

 **xxx**

Over by the cliffs where the tide was coming it to its peak, there were aged posts mounted to the rock bed. Worn by the water, but sturdy enough to hold two ships in place. Tied to those posts, the water battering their faces, were the missing thieves. Every single one of them. Under different circumstances, this situation would be perfect. Right now, it posed a bigger problem than what was already presented.

Ropes had them all securely fastened one over the other, burns and lack of circulation eating away at their arms and legs. The thieves were ragged, their skin like leather. Delirious, dehydrated, and obviously sunburnt from undoubtedly being restrained for hours. Whatever form of consciousness they had was bordering on a coma, to being trapped in a dream like state.

If only their current health was the worst of it. With the rising tide, and the excitement, came a hungry pack of sharks lurking near the fresh - if not withered - bodies.

 **xxx**

"NOO!" Salim cried in despair. His heart sank into his stomach. He shook his head with disbelief. They're so close. SO CLOSE. Yet there was no way for him to rescue them. Not all of them.

"The tide is gradually coming in." Ahlii Parda purred, strutting casually to the traumatized raccoon. He brought his lips to his ear, able to savor the hairs stand up on his neck. "Either they will drown, or they will be eaten alive." He whispered in a ghouls tone. Salim's heart pounded, rage boiling his blood. "Or perhaps their friends will save them."

 **xxx**

" _Did you catch all that?!_ " Bentley whispered to Sly and his team.

Sly, Bob, and Carmelita furrowed their brows. "Yeah! We can see them from here!" Sly huffed. "This isn't going to be smooth sailing." Yeah. He just said that. Not one of his bests, but now wasn't time for wisecracks. They needed a way over there. Without having to swim. He should invest in waterwings.

Carmelita had her sights trained to the circling pack of sharks, taking them out one by one. Her shock bolts electrofied a space around their raft, traveling a foot beneath the water. Directly hit sharks were killed instantly. Those in the radius received a nasty shock to their system. Bob attempted to help by slapping the water, luring sharks closers. He dug his claws into their fins or hides and gave them a nice toss, a broke their spines.

The sharks aren't going to stop coming, but at least they were discouraged to come too close. Carmelita used this respite to scout for a way to the thieves. She found it. "THERE!" There was a rowboat floating leisurely close by. Rope was floating around also, giving Carmelita an idea. "Sly, your cane!" Sly perplexedly handed her his cane. She tied the rope from the base of the hook to the butt, gave it a twirl and let it fly. One the first try she hooked the rowboat, dragging it on its merry way.

"Nice shot!" Sly applauded.

"Thanks! Alauna's not the only resourceful chick here!"

Sly threw his hands up. He never assumed she was. They gathered into the boat, letting Bob have the pleasure of rowing. He was really good at it. He was faster than Murray. "We're clear, Bentley! We're heading for the thieves now! What about Salim and the others?!"

" _Slytunkhamen and I will rescue them! Just get the thieves to safety! The tide's coming up fast!"_

"Then we'll be quick!" Sly swore.

 **xxx**

"We'll be quicker." Bentley murmured. A couple more taps of live wires and the rockets were juiced for action. The damage at the back was ugly, but it wouldn't hinder them. He remotely started the van from his chair's computer, loving the sweet purring sounds the engine made. No wonder Murray enjoys working on it so much.

Slytunkhamen felt like an extra, less needed part when it came to the workings of Murray's horseless chariot. He was lingering around idly, waiting like a handmaiden to be needed. But, in that idle time, he was able to study how Murray permitted the chariot to move. It had to do with those steps below that wheel. Those steps only work when feet can stamp on them. "I am no expert on this contraption..." He shyly glanced to Bentley's crippled legs, "But I believe Murray uses his feet to move it." He cleared his throat timidly.

"Don't worry. We planned for this." Bentley winked. The Cooper Gang plans for everything. Well, almost anything. He shuffled a hand under the driver's seat, pressing a button. The seat itself folded upright to the backrest. Bentley used his mech arms to climb inside. The wheels were hooked in place. Slytunkhamen climbed inside, ogling Bentley curiously. He took wires from within the console, connected them to his chair and uplinked a sync through his computer. A couple taps of the space bar, and he was revving the engine. He grinned like a madman. "Time to prove paraplegics can drive!"

 **xxx**

Salim grit his teeth, nails digging into the hardwood. He didn't have to look Ahlii Parda in his devilish eyes to know he was enjoying him. Taking great pleasure in watching Salim squirm, and leaving those he called friend to a fate worse than death. "You...depraved...MONSTER!" Salim surprised everyone with the swift punch to Ahlii Parda's face. A satisfying crunch shattered his nose, throwing him off his feet.

Enigma and Rajan's jaws hit ground like anchors. Murray had jumped frozen in terror in Alauna's arms. Her own legs were quaking, and it was only half due to carrying a five ton hippo. "And there's another similarity." She quivered.

"Sly CAN deal a mean punch when he's mad." Murray shivered. Note the self: never EVER anger a Cooper.

Ahlii Parda massaged his throbbing nose, spitting up the blood he snorted. He glared daggers at the raccoon. Salim's adrenaline was revving so harshly he barely noticed the bruising tenderizing his knuckles. "How can you do this so lightly?! How can you do this to those who once called you brothers?!"

He spat up blood, at the same time spitting on that ridiculous...word! "Brothers?! A superficial, sentimental label designed to soften my resolve!" Alauna felt a nostalgic bell strike her insides. "I had no brothers amongst the 40 thieves! Only disdainful leers of disparagement, and resentful words of chastisement!" Sour chords within her soon followed. Alauna knows those words and those looks. They are her shadow. "Our _brothers_ saw me as nothing more a monster! A pet you were at liberty to let off its leash whenever he pleased!" Alauna wasn't able to stand it, and her shoulders sank with a dismal sigh. She somberly glanced to the ground. Ahlii Parda chuckled triumphantly. "Ah. I see I have hit close to a homestead. You understand, don't you, Alauna?" She mentally cursed herself for letting him see. Ahlii Parda glanced to Murray, catching him off guard. "Those who you've called brother fear you as well, don't they?"

"That's not true! We never-"

"No, Murray. He's right." Alauna acquiesced.

"A-Alauna…" Murray stammered heartbroken. Sly and Bentley's brows furrowed grimly.

Ahlii Pasta smirked contently. Alauna's sneer erased it instantly. "It's no secret! I know the guys are scared of me! Of what I can do, and how I do it with not a single, solid, leisurely care IN THE WORLD! I've known for eight years!" She might have directed 90% of the counter argument to Ahlii Parda, but the last part her attention shifted to Murray. He, Sly, and Bentley shamefully lowered their heads, hiding the raw truth they've tried to hide for years. They should have known she'd see right through them. She wouldn't be paid the big bucks if she didn't have some level of foresight. Carmelita and the others felt saddened by the silent admission, but weren't entirely surprised. "In spite of that, I would never do to them what you did to Salim! I would sooner lose my limbs than betray them!"

"Alauna…" Salim murmured in awe.

Rajan and Enigma growled under their breath. That was a declaration of war if ever they heard one. Ahlii Parda can see - between his men and Salim's - that words were no longer an option. Primitive methods are all that is available to them. He wrenched his nose, jerking it back in place. Those cracks sent pain shooting his skull, while relieving tension. He reached behind his back, twirling two short sickle blades with the hilts right side up. "Allow me to grant your wish!" He darted forth, both blades thrusting.

"No you don't!" Salim shoved Alauna to the side, intercepting the blades with his cane. "You are mine, Ahlii!"

"COULDN'T HAVE PUT IT BETTER!" Ahlii Parda poured strength into his leg and sprang, diving with Salim down the stairs to the lower deck. They broke pickled egg jars, and knocked over other breakables on their landing.

"SALIM!" Murray cried.

"OH NO, WEAKLING!" Murray dodged last second. Rajan's punch caved in the wood. He wrenched it free, dusting splinter and nail from his knuckles. "You and I have a score to settle!"

"Not much of a score facing a zero like you!" Murray growled animally, squaring up his fists. Rajan tackled him, smashing him against the Captain's door. Murray dealt a swift punch across his cheek, shoving the tiger back even harder.

"Then that just leaves us, Darling!" Enigma taunted. She scaled their main mast, displaying her feline finesse by walking backwards on the yard. "Come, Alauna Lea Pard! She me how dull your blades have become!" She mocked with open arms.

"Oh, that is it!" Alauna cut a rope. Counterweights slung her up, launching her onto the yard with Enigma. The masked assassin cracked her whip. Alauna cracked her knuckles. "I won't need a blade to take you out!" Enigma tried to prove her wrong, unleashing her thorny whip. Alauna shot out a hand, wrapping the whip to her gloved arm, and yanking it out of Enigma's hands. "If that's the best you've got, this is going to be short!" She tossed it, and her own weapons. She won't need them.

Seeing the weapons fall to the deck fueled Enigma with dismay and self loathing. _So, you think you can underestimate me? ME?!_ She spat at the weapon. She doesn't need it. She doesn't need a crutch to defeat this weakened hunter. "No way is better than old fashioned anyway! COME, TRAITOR!" Both women got into a running start. Their bodies twisted and mutual punches collided with their cheeks.

 **xxx**

The tide was already beginning to consume the thieves unfortunate enough to be tied at the bottom of the posts. Their strength was too diminished for them to fight for breath.

Just as the taunting waves were about to swallow them, claws severed the ropes, and the thieves floated into the arms of Bob. Carmelita and Sly used the small anchor as a tied down, using the thieves posts as a hold. Bob helped his pack of thieves into the boat, feeding them each a swig of water. They would forever be in his debt. They would need to hold their thanks. Because they weren't out of the woods yet.

"And the day keeps getting better!" Sly frothed. He counted the thieves, and made a rough guess with the space on the boat. "Damn! There isn't enough room for all of them!"

"/Then why don't we drop these guys off and come back?/" Bob suggested. The dock wasn't too far away. They could make it.

"That won't work either!" Carmelita hissed. "The tide is coming in too fast! They'll drown before we make it back!" A strong crash of waves collided with the boat, grinding it on the rocks. "And if we sit here for much longer, we're drowned too."

 _Think, think, think..._ Sly pounded fists to his skull. There's a way to save them. For a Cooper, there's always a way. That's what Rioichi taught him. If they can't take all thieves back by boat...maybe take half, and the rest can… _the cliff!_

Sly had an epiphany. It may be suicide, but it just might work. Did he remember to put it on? He spun rapidly, and was in his Genie costume. YES HE DID! "Alright! Here's the plan!" He spire jumped to a rock, balancing to a post, cutting the thieves free. "You guys take as many of the thieves as you can. I'll use the powers in my disguise to take the rest up!" He pointed to the ledge above them.

"Are you sure you can?!" Carmelita knows better than to doubt. She watched Sly throw the makeshift grapple of his cane to the cliffside above. Not a hop, skip, or jump of a climb either. Bob was already helping the thieves he cut free onto the boat. Sly strapped his to his back. "Slowing time has to strain you!"

"Not as much as seeing these guys die will strain me!" His counter coerced Carmelita to end her argument. She doesn't like it, but it was their best plan. The boat was loaded to max capacity. 11 thieves fit on that boat. Leaving Sly with the rest, and three trips to make it. Two if he count that he's carrying three. "Get going! We don't have much time!" He began his climb, and Carmelita pushed the boat out to sea.

 **xxx**

Chunks of mast bases torn away. The cannons pried from their bolted positions, crooked or miraculously flipped onto their sides. From stem to stern the ship was being ripped asunder. Concaving spots scattered across the deck barely holding together by stretched slivers. And it would only grow worse with another PUNCH!

Murray's back smashed to the helm, prickling pain dropped him dazedly. He shook off the stars circling his head, growling venomously at the snorting tiger. Rajan strutted arrogantly, cracking the knuckles he's barely bruised with this fat, pathetic, weakling of a hippo. He barely had a scratch on him. Ruffled patches of fur here and there, but nothing hindering his onslaught. Murray was a glorified punching bag. They get more respect than hims right now. "Is that all you've got to muster, Hippo?" He taunted, welcoming Murray with open arms. His challenge was accepted as he stumbled to his feet. Rajan threw his head back with howling laughter. He admires spirit, but curses stupidity. "Come at me with all your rage and might, Hippo. Nothing will change."

"You'll wish you never said that!" Murray skipped his feet, prancing left to right to trip Rajan up. He eased his way in with short punches. Two left and right, or two rights with a left. He came up and over, or under and around. Rajan blocked each of his half strengthened blows with one hand, laughing at how they barely tickled. He'd lash out with meager swipes, loving watching Murray panic in his ducks. He'd spring to the farthest side out of Rajan's direct line of sight and try to surprise him. Rajan turned the surprise about with backwards kicks, or simply sweeping his foot. Murray was being made into a chump, but he wasn't done. He had more where that came from. He'd pivot on his left. Rajan closed his eyes, effectively dodging the punch meant for his face. He predicted the next punch for his ribs and swatted it aside. Murray growled through gritted teeth. No more by the book. Murray flew into a frenzy.

"Running out of steam yet, Hippo? Or is there more?" Murray's style of fighting was primitive, predictable, unrefined. True, he is unmatched in strength. But skills? He's no better than a child throwing hissy fit blows. Just how Rajan knew he would eventually. Murray roared, pounding fists to his chest. A burst of adrenaline sent him into a 100 miles dash. He fed his speed to his muscle and threw his most powerful punch. Rajan caught the high flying fist with ease, crushing and puncturing the gloves with his claws. Murray winced, grounding his teeth to not wail. It only fueled his determination to pound him to pudding. "My strength is not all that has been improved since our last meeting!" He flexed the muscle of his free arm. He pat a hand to his chest. "Beating within my breast is an organ of pure iron and metal! A gift from my employer!"

"Penelope?!" Murray cried, disgusted at the image. He has a metallic heart. "Penelope became a surgeon?!"

"Sure…" Rajan chuckled derisively. He pushed Murray's fist, twisting and bending the bones, driving him to one knee. "My time with the Clockwerk Heart brought about a divine realization! An epiphany of what encouraged my ultimate weakness and limitation!" Rajan threw the fist aside and added a swift swipe of his claws. Three gashes tore Murray's cheek open, tossing him to the ground. "This fleshy...oxygen driven...muscles and bone confined form of mine…and the beating organ that allows it all to live…" He spat on all of it, damning it to the darkest depths. He called at the organ, grounding it to dust in his mind. "Replace one, and all sorts of possibilities emerge! For example…" He grabbed Murray by the head and his belt. Digging in his feet he hoisted him high above his head. "Unrelenting strength pumps through my veins via my IRON HEART! Making me unto a god compared to you!" Murray flailed in panic. Rajan threw him. He rebound off a wall and his face let the brunt of Rajan's forearm. He flipped like a flounder, groaning dizzily. Rajan shuffled his shoulders, cracking the mind tension away. He meandered over as Murray tried to rise, planting a foot and holding him in place. "And you - _THE MURRAY -_ are nothing more than a FAT," He twisted the foot, "PATHETIC," Murray grunted at the next twist, "WEAKLING!" he stomped hard. Aftershocks splintered the deck, leaving MURRAY gasping on caved in wood flooring. Rajan removed his foot, showing the slightest mercy to his not so worthy opponent. "You belong at my feet."

"I'd rather break them!" Murray lifted the foot off and gave it a sharp twist. Rajan unleashed a feral roar, staggering with a limp. Murray curled up like a ball, spinning back onto his feet. Metal heart or no heart, Murray wasn't going to be made a chump. He stomped on Rajan's wounded foot. The sheer agony cause Rajan to thrash about wildly. Murray dodged those abrasive, clumsy swings. He defected one with a wrist, then coupled a two prong punch to his face. Murray followed up with his favored 20 hit combo - Patent pending and only legal in Russia, Prague, and certain parts of Africa. Five jabs to the legs and hips. Another five going for the stomach, the shoulders, and chest. The last five end WITH-THE-FACE! The final uppercut threw Rajan over the edge. Literally. He dropped onto a piece of driftwood. A lot of that lying around lately. Murray collapsed fresh out of breath, and feeling like he was on top of the world.

 **xxx**

Enigma somersaulted backwards, landing with feline precision on her narrow battle ground. She ran her wrist at the sweat stinging what little of her face showed. Swollen muscle was protruding from her suit. Traces of blood leaking from her mask. Meanwhile, Alauna was flicking her hand, assuaging the pulsing battered her knuckles. She tossed away her small jacket, letting the wind take the hindering fashion article. The wind at her arms freed her to do more. Enigma didn't care what clothing she shed. So long as her blood would follow.

Alauna made the next move. She came within a foot, stamping her boot and diverting Enigma's eyes down. An uppercut met her chin. Her feet staggering to stand. Alauna wasn't finished. She unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks, driving Enigma closer to the edge of the main yard. The sharks soon to feast on her bones. NOT! The next high fly kick was caught by the ankle. Alauna gaped in dismay. A sinister smile stretched Enigma's mask. Enigma endured all she needed, studied Alauna thoroughly. Time to deal it all back tenfold.

"It's my turn now!" She purred. She moved in and jabbed her elbow down onto the knee. Alauna's foot slammed down, throbbing hot pain crippled the joint from flexing, weakening the leg entirely. Enigma trailed a series of rapid punches up the wounded leg to her hip, and moved in with a harsh elbow into her ribs. The jolt choked Alauna on her hitched breath, her arms wrapping around her abdomen. The world flipped in her eyes as she staggered away. Enigma wasn't quite done with her yet. She combined a series of punches and kicks into a never ending barrage. The foolish feline was her own personal toy. She thought she'd be able to fall off that yard in order to escape. Oh no. Enigma dealt blows sending her close to falling, then would catch her last second and send her skipping across the yard. She was starting to regain the ground she'd lost. decided to copy Alauna. She charged, stopped a foot away, bent all the way back and flutter kicked both feet into her chin. Alauna flew off her feet, landing on her back. She hoped that crack was the wood and not her back. Either way, she was seeing stars.

Alauna rolled side to side, groaning in the agony battering her. Everything was spinning like a top. She hated to admit it, but Enigma can deal a mean punch. Not that she should be surprised. After all, she nearly killed her back in Bob's place. "I bet you're wishing you'd kept your weapons, now." Enigma taunted.

"Not...even…" Alauna spat up blood, and a tooth, leaning on an elbow. Enigma scoffed at her resilience. _It's always been your most annoying attribute._ "If I was so easily discouraged by a few lucky shots," Lightheadedness tripped up her feet as stood, "I would have hung up my career from day one!"

"I take that to mean you aren't going to surrender." Enigma hissed.

"I might consider it…" She twisted her bruised joints back into place. Maye Bentley can give her a fake tooth. She locked a heinous glare with the gawking assassin, "If you tell me why you're robbing the Cooper's of their talents!"

Enigma's emerald green orbs narrowed. Not in malice, but with intrigue. "Whatever do you mean?" She crooned.

"Don't play dumb with me! Bison all but gave it up! And the blueprints we found confirmed it!" She tapped on her skull. "Slytunkhamen had a bug slapped to his skull - a millipede - and his invisibility technique was gone! A _Cooper Quirk_ captured." Enigma chuckled under her breath. Her impatience was rising. Leave it to Bison to spoil the fun with his big mouth. "That bug you slapped on Bob back in his village, it left the same marks on him that it did to Slytunkhamen! The difference is, Bob never developed a _particular_ Cooper skill so it was a dud!"

"Just like that animal!"

"WATCH YOUR MOUTH!" Alauna astonished her with a punch across the cheek. Enigma remained standing, but the strength behind it was numbing. "The Coopers are already being violated by these constant attacks! I won't have YOU insulting them!"

Enigma spat up her own blood, followed by a tooth as well. She clenched her fists, growling vengefully. The idiocy that falls from her lips made her want to puke. "Why do you care so much?! All they ever done is hold you back!" She gestured gobsmacked hands at her bruised figure. "Look at the sorry state you're in! It's because you protect and indulge them!"

"You're wrong! The Coopers, Bentley, Murray, and Carmelita have made me stronger!" Enigma rolled her whole head, sick of her deluded preaching. She ran in, twisting back and stretching her foot. Alauna mimicked Enigma and caught the foot by the ankle. Enigma gasped in dismay. "It is because they need me that I fight!" She cracked her elbow in the leg, sending strobing waves of karma shooting up and down. "My one purpose is to make sure they live to see another sunrise. And to see Sly return home." She punched Enigma twice in her face then trailed kicks up her legs and hips, ending with a spinning foot jabbed in her stomach. Icy pain tore her lungs. "Not that you would ever understand that sort of sentimentality…" Just as Enigma dropped to a knee, Alauna grabbed her by a scruff on her head and brought her lips to her ear, "Neyla!" Enigma's eyes widened with dread. Alauna clamped both hands to her head, smashing their foreheads together. "You should have stayed dead!" She jabbed her knee between her ribs, then knocked her back with an elbow to the nose. Enigma wobbled dazedly, struggling to stand while not plummet to her death. Alauna got into a running start. "HERE'S YOUR CHANCE!" She threw herself into a cartwheel, shifting to a backward handspring, landing a two pronged kick to Enigma's stomach and sending her hurtling to the deck. By a miracle she managed to grab hold of ropes to slow her fall, but the landing was devastating enough to rob wind from her lungs. Leaving her unconscious for another to deal with.

 **xxx**

The battles raging on the upper deck were deafening compared to the silence ensuing below. The crash bringing Salim and Ahlii Parda below deck was the highlight of their fray. Almost immediately after, Ahlii Parda had shed his daunting cloak, disappearing into the shrouding darkness. The sole source of light were rays coming from holes in the hull. Left to right, up and down, Salim scoured the lower deck with a fine toothed comb. Ahlii Parda was close, lurking in the shadows. He can practically hear him breathing, trying not to laugh as he listened to the quickening heart beat of his prey. Salim stalked on his toes, cane resting along his collar, making not so much as a brushing sound as his feet touched. He ensured to avoid the light rays. They could give him away. Or Ahlii Parda. That is...if Ahlii Parda wasn't already aware of where he was. He always was good at _surprises._ The darkness was nothing more than another weapon in his arsenal.

 _Crreeaak..._ Ice formed to Salim's spine. His eyes kept to the corner. His rigid body resisting meeting who caused the sound. He wriggled his fingers on his cane. Edged his feet further apart. _Crreeaak..._ The floorboards vibrated right at his feet. He whipped around, extending his cane. No one there but crates of moldy food, and dust. Salim released his held breath in relief, slouching in a self loathing slump. All of this excitement can't be good for his old heart. Nevertheless, this ship was big enough to have a lower level. Ahlii Parda has to be in one of them. He turned on his heels to continue his investigation.

A powerful fist met his face, throwing him off his feet and into bags of rice. Rice and dust erupted, sprinkling to Salim's throbbing head. Everything was a blurry...mushy...haze. Trying to stand only made it worse. His head felt like a fishing bobber, swaying off kilter in whatever direction. He wasn't allowed to regain himself before a hand planted entirely to his face. He was pulled into a fist, muscles in his abdomen ruptured. Blurted splurting from his mouth soaked to the gloved paw. A malicious chuckle told Salim who it was. The monster swung him around, cracking his back to a support column. Salim hit the ground with a painful _THUD_ , coughing up blood and saliva as he struggled to gain wind.

"Misery, misery, misery - that's all you've ever chosen." Ahlii Parda taunted, wiping the blood to a dangling piece of cloth. He circled the aged raccoon, ogling him like the dying animal that he was. "For decades I have yearned to see you dragged before me at my feet." Salim mustered some lingering strength to push up on his hands and knees. "To see you squirm as I lay your betrayal - all of your treacherous deeds - bare in front of your brothers!" _Your._ He said _your_ again. Not _our_. He truly has separated himself from his brothers.

"You betrayed us!" A stitch caused Salim to fly into a heaving fits. He dug his fingers to the column at his back, pulling up. His knees wobbled uncontrollably. "The day you chose the Sultan's daughter and abandoned us for a life in the palace!"

"Oh how you've chosen to recall things, Salim." He crooned mockingly. That's just like Salim. His memory was never the best, even in his prime. Selective memory, philosophers call it. A coping mechanism - delusion, really - where the person can reshape lies into truths, or replace what has happened with what never did. It's considered a true affliction. Honestly, it's nothing more than a convenient excuse. "Have you forgotten why I chose the princess? Why I renounced my loyalties to you and bestowed them to the royal family?" He strutted like a dangerous feline he is, daring to place a hand near Salim's head as he leaned in. The raccoon felt the proverbial rock and hard place, and was seconds from phasing through the floor. "I daresay if Alauna were to hear this part of the story, she would cleave the flesh from your bones."

"I...I don't know what you're talking about!" Salim's nerves were wrecked. His mind a whirlwind of fear. Those golden orbs melting his insides, or drowning him in the heat. Possibly both.

"Come now. Don't be so bashful. It was the first night you, Tiger, Panther, Lion, and all of our brothers came to a unanimous decision." Ahlii Parda's perpetual smirk faded, shadowing to the darkest glare Salim has ever seen. "The night where you all decided my time upon this earth had reached its conclusion." Salim's batting eyes widened with horror. "Yes, Salim. I was there!"

 **Flashback**

 _The cave in which we called our home for the longest time. Where we would convene and plot some our most daring, exciting, and dangerous of jobs._

 _A Youthful Ahlii Parda strolling the streets. His ears flapping at distant mutterings._

 _One night, I caught word of a thieves meeting I was not invited to._

 _Ahlii Parda listened to three of his brothers speak of the meeting, and then decided to confront them._

 _When I questioned our brothers, wondering about the meeting, they boldly lied straight to my face, and dashed off before I could confront them._

 _Ahlii Parda extended hand to halt his brothers was ignored. They were gone with the wind before he could so much as utter another word. That dashed hand curled into a fist. He slammed it to a wall, cracking the stone, and puncturing trails of blood from his palms. He growled with abject rage._

 _I was used to you all keeping secrets from me. Plotting without me. I grew accustomed to it, waiting idly for you to finish or come find me. But that night...I knew something was amiss. So, keeping to the night's blanket, I followed you._

 _Incoherent mutterings from dozens of men hummed from the hideout. Ahlii Parda utilized other passages only he knew of to enter inside. Lo and behold, he found all 40 Thieves - Salim included - gathered around, engaged in heated conversations._

 _In the shadows, I lurked, where none could see me. HEAR me as my broken heart caused me to weep! The entire time I listened! For hours I endured! The constant berating, the loathing in the recounts of my actions, the hatred they felt for my skill. All of it a disguise for their envy. Listening to those blithering fools was tolerable. They hated my bond with you. Despised how close we had become. I cared not for what they had to say._

 _He drags his claws in the stone, imagining them to be the flesh of the treacherous thieves._

 _Then, just as I think there is a ray of hope for me - a sunrise in the darkness -_

 _Ahlii Parda's spirits lift with overwhelming joy seeing Salim step forth, knowing that salvation was to come._

 _You stand before our brothers and you say…_

" _Ahlii Parade is our brother. Always has been, always will be." A thief handed him his scimitar. "Therefore, as his brothers," He extended the scimitar as a declaration of war, "It is up to us to stop him...by any means." His intentions made clear when he pierced the table. Ahlii Parda's mind and heart pierced along with it._

 **Flashback End**

Salim was at a loss. An abyss all but consumed him. Sorrow, guilt, regret, and anger forged a typhoon that was ravaging him, tearing him to tatters as thunder and lightning decimated him. _He was there..._ His trembling mouth parted. _He was listening...the whole time..._ Tears welled to his eyes. In his doubts, he began to ponder, _Am I truly sorry because...I am indeed a traitor to him?_ Or, _Am I sorry because I was caught?_

"Those words have haunted me for years. Waking me at all hours of the night!" Ahlii Parda clutched his collar, lifting Salim so the tips of his toes brushed the floor. He threw him against the column again, suspending him clear off ground. "There was but one option left to me...and I felt not the slightest twinge of regret taking it." Salim winced. At his breath, and at the knife of his words. His snicker caught him off guard. "Well, that's not true. My real regret was not revealing myself and allowing you to witness the pain your betrayal caused."

"Ahlii...please...we did not mean-"

"YES YOU DID!" He let him fall to the floor, then smashed a foot to his chest. "Do not feign contrite with me, Salim! You and your pathetic brothers meant every-single-WORD!" He jabbed his foot on each word. Salim feared his chest would break. "You were plotting to kill me, so I ensured my preservation the one way I knew how! And what the charmer I am!" He maliciously purred wiggling his brow.

That note sent Salim over the edge. He coughed dryly, grasping at the ankle. He locked a defiant glare with the leopard. "Did you even love the princess?" He hissed.

"More than you can imagine! For you see, Salim," Remorse and longing softened his expression. He gazed upon his tainted hand, a sad smile tracing his lips, "She was the only one who was proud to wash the blood from my palms."

"Ahlii…" Salim reached for him, wanting to comfort him.

He snapped his hand to Salim's wrist. A sharp twist sent cracks shooting up his arm, dropping Salim to a knee. "I only wish she was here to do so again!" Ahlii Parda rolled onto his back, pulling Salim along with him. He pressed his feet to his stomach, and with a strong kick Salim broke through the deck, flipping several feet high. Alauna and Murray, reeling from exhaustion, turned and gaped in dismay as Salim flopped like a dying fish on the deck.

"SALIM!" The two cried. Ahlii Parda sprang from the fresh hole, landing with his notorious grace. He twirled his curved blades, running his tongue over them hungrily as he approached the dazed Raccoon. Murray and Alauna hadn't shaken off their battle wounds. They won't make it to him in time.

Ahlii Parda used his foot and flipped Salim onto his back. The Raccoon was dazed, unable to register the twin blades hovering over him. "Time to do what I should have done years ago!"

"NOT TODAY, LEOPARD!" Ahlii Parda pupils narrowed furiously to slits. Murray and Alauna turned to the voice, a ray of hope emerging from the Ship's starboard side. Slytunkhamen ascended with his cane's crossed over his chest. Ahlii Parda's limited mind raced with impossibilities to how he was floating. As if he was commanding the wind itself. Murray and Alauna took so many hits to the head they would have believed it too. Then, like the Kraken mounted by Davy Jones, the Cooper van rose soon after. Bentley at the wheel, he waved mockingly to the fuming Ahlii Parda.

"Will these interruptions never cease?!" The leopard roared at the whelp of a raccoon.

Slytunkhamen flipped around, planting his feet to the bumper of the van. "YOU SHALL NOT KILL MY DESCENDANT!" He launched like a rocket. Ahlii Parda dug in his feet, crossing his blades. Slytunkhamen hooked those blades, using them as vaults to flip him over and behind Ahlii Parda, winking at his gawking. He pried the canes apart, driving Ahlii Parda's defense wide open, then swept a leg, sweeping his feet from under him. His shoulder broke his fall, but he would soon break more on Slytunkhamen. "End this now, Ahlii Parda! And we may spare you!"

"Do not jest, BOY!" He whipped around. Slytunkhamen howled as a blade pierced his leg. Blood trickled along the razor edge, spilling to his shaking foot. "You think you can harm me!" Ahlii Parda latched onto his neck, crushing those frail bones. "You aren't old enough to cross the bay on your own!" Ahlii Parda cast him aside, throwing him away like trash. He raised a blade to the turtle harnessing the chariot. "Be warned, Turtle! Attempt to intervene, and I shall kill you before you twitch!" Bentley heeded the threat in full force, raising his hands above his head. Ahlii Parda was pleased someone on that team had sense. And a sense of self preservation. A shame those he aligned with weren't so intune. "And now, back to what I was doing!" He stood over Salim again, unawares of the shadow that took back a discarded sword. "Now to end this feud once and for all!" Stainless steel reflecting the sun whisked across the deck. Ahlii Parda brought the blades down, only to have then stopped again. This time it was by another sword. One he would take great pleasure into breaking. Alauna crossed her sword in their path, lifting them back and moving between them and Salim. Ahlii Parda was beginning to find her tenacity tedious. "As interfering as you are dangerous!"

"Then I must be lethal," She pushed him back, "Because I'm not finished with you!"

 **xxx**

Sly was running on fumes by now. His Cooper focus wasn't regenerating as quickly as he would like. Cutting the thieves free in record time wasn't the issue. That tide never stood a chance. It was carrying three thieves at a time up a three story cliff with wet hands. On the right side, he was finished. What thieves he had to save were drying on land, sharing several canteens of water. After this, he needed a nice three day long soak in a hot tub. Or a hot spring. Better yet, just cook his sore muscles alive.

" _Sly?! You good!_ " Carmelita cried over the coms.

"Yeah…" He rasped, coughing on dry air. "I'm...fan-frickin-tastic! WOO!" His lungs were burning.

" _Glad to hear it! Because we aren't done!_ " Why doesn't she just hang him with a noose while she's at it. " _The guys are going to need us on that ship! We have to go!_ "

"Oh man! I'm getting too old for this!"

 **xxx**

Alauna cackled crazily. "Oh, I've been looking forward to this!" She purred. "There is the matter of your trying to kill me in that tavern!" She kicked him in the groin, then unleashed a two hit spin kick. One to knock the knives from his grip, the other sending him skipping across the deck. He rebound off one of his own cannons, left in a splitting daze. He shook off the disorientation, only to find a sword in his face and the demonic slits of Alauna's eyes boring holes in him. "You and I can't be related if you failed at that." No respectable hunter FAILS at killing their prey. Or underestimates their quarry. She drew the sword back with both hands, aligning it with his black heart. "THIS IS HOW YOU KILL SOMEBODY!"

"ALAUNA! STOP!" Bentley's echoing voice hitched her arms. He slapped his hands to the controls. The van screeched on the deck, spinning to a halt. It stopped in front of Slytunkhamen, guarding him from further harm for the time being. Murray used the cover to tend to him. Bentley sped out of the van, racing to Alauna. "YOU CAN'T KILL HIM!"

"Sure I can, Bentley! IT'S EASY!" She stabbed an inch of her blade in his shoulder. His curled his lips, stifling a pained yelp. "See? EASY!"

"NO! YOU CAN'T KILL HIM BECAUSE…"Salim's ears twitched. He focused hard on the hesitant turtle, wordlessly encouraging him to say it. "He's…" Bentley braced his hands to his chair, mustering his wavering nerves. He took a deep breath, "HE'S YOUR ANCESTOR, ALLIE!" _Ancestor_ rang in the ears of Ahlii Parda, to Murray, to Rajan overboard, to Sly and the others on the cliff. Enigma's ears caught wind of the word, and she was slowly stirred from her coma. Alauna, however, felt her ears and mind shatter like thin glass. The package of hairs Bentley kept haunted him. The results tormented him. Waiting this long - UNTIL NOW - to tell her.

"That...that can't be…" He has to be mistaken. He has to be.

Bentley wheeled himself closer, hesitantly putting a hand to her elbow. Her muscles tensed at his touch. "Spot is your ancestor from the prehistoric era! Pardelaytra is your ancestor from Egypt! Ahlii Parda is your ancestor from Arabia!"

"My...Ancestor…" She was trapped in a trance of pure terror. This monster...shared her blood. Her arms began to shake as utter shock gripped her. Her mind completely blank. The exception of Spot, she shares the blood of those who wish to see the Coopers dead. How can this be? WHY does it have to be?

"Alauna...if you kill him...you won't exist anymore! YOU'LL FADE AWAY!" Bentley coaxed her elbow lower, bringing the sword from Ahlii Parda's shoulder. He sighed with relief, cupping the spilling blood to his palm. Alauna's sword angled to the deck, her arms lacking the strength to raise it again. The stupor she was ensnared within was too heavy. This discovery...too damaging.

"Why so surprised, My Dear?" Ahlii Parda savored her terror, sipping it like sweet, rich ambrosia. He planted his palms to the sides, climbing to his feet. He braced himself against the waves rocking the boat, but found balance in Alauna's petrified state. "After all, I told you as much back in that tavern. And you've noticed the similarities since the first ancestor. You were just too scared to admit to it."

"That's enough, Ahlii Parda! You've made your point!" Bentley snarled. He moved in his path to Alauna.

"Oh but, Dear Turtle, don't you see? The major conclusion has yet to be made apparent." He chuckled. "Leopards have always despised the Coopers. They start off as Kindred Spirits, then became the most bitter of enemies."

"No…" The hushed squeak in Alauna's voice unnerved Bentley. She was staggering away from him, her limp arms unable to lift the sword from dragging. He's never seen her so afraid. "No, that...that won't happen…"

"But it will, Alauna. Don't you see? It's history's most silent and repetitive event." Ahlii Parda dared to approach her. Bentley readied his robotic arms, tranq gun, and bombs if he so much as took another step. The leopard registered the threat, but kept a foot from the turtle all the same. "They will adore you, admire you - Hell - one or two will fall in love with you!" Sly and Bentley swallowed lumps. Murray and Carmelita slyly rolled their eyes. "You will forge what seems to be an unbreakable bond. And then, when you least expect it - when they see the true Leopardess that you are - that bond will become brittle, and will turn to ash in your hands." Alauna, trapped in her warring terror, gazed dazedly at her trembling hand. The blood staining her gloves, unable to be washed from her skin - the ash...will build from the blood. "They will want to stop you, and your only recourse will be to kill them!"

"YOU'RE LYING!" Bentley's scream pierced Alauna's ears to her chest. Murray and Salim gawk at him. Sly and others paused. Bentley rammed his chair into Ahlii Parda, knocking him away from Alauna one foot at a time. "We would never do that to her! Alauna would never do that to us!"

"Oh no? Can you be so sure?" He leaned onto Bentley's chair, coming in dangerously close. His breath reeked of fish.

"I can!" He slammed a fist. Ahlii Parda popped his hands off. "We love Alauna! We trust her! She'll never be like you or Pardelaytra!"

"Such wavering confidence." He scoffed incredulously.

"You don't know anything about us! So keep your mouth shut!"

"Bentley…"

Ahlii Parda disliked the _heartfelt_ words of fools. Especially fools preaching out of emotion in place of logic. _Emotion._ Ahlii Parda wheeled himself around, planting his hands to Bentley's chair once more, bringing that horrible fish breath within nose reach. Golden, feline eyes melted past the liquid lenses, piercing the very core of the baby blues rippling with abject rage, shredding him to tatters with their daggers. But beyond that rage lied something even more sinister. Something so devious, duplicitous, and malicious that it made even Ahlii Parda want to cry out in utter terror. Something...so...dreadful...and yet easily severed with the right cut.

Bentley's brow arched at the cynical cackle stitching Ahlii Parda's side. He missed the joke entirely. That is until Ahlii Parda sent him reeling with this one question, "My dear boy," He brought his mouth to his ear and whispered, while his eyes were locked to Alauna, "You love her, don't you?" Alauna gasped. Bentley's mind collapsed, and his stomach and chest knotted. Pink tinted his cheeks as his eyes widened.

Meanwhile, away from the fray, well out of anyone's mind, Enigma had finally managed to climb back onto her feet. Her head was spinning, but it will fade soon enough. She spotted a dazed Salim on his own, struggling to to at least push up on his hands. The old man was worse for wear. Perfect for Enigma to finish what she came to do. She rifled in a pouch at her back, praying that she hadn't lost it. In her fingers, wriggling with its millions of legs, was the little device that would grant her and her idiotic cohort the pass to leave this maddening time period.

In a blur Enigma darted past Alauna, Bentley, and Ahlii Parda. Before anyone could so much as protest, Enigma was tearing Salim's turban off. She slapped the millipede to his skull, every single leg puncturing the scalp and wedging the insect on tight. Horror gripped the frozen Cooper Gang. The same millipede from the schematics - the one that failed on Bob, but stole Slytunkhamen's invisibility. The piercing humming, and violent orange glow churned Slytunkhamen's stomach. Enigma, finding the duration longer than Bob's was salivating in victory. Salim writhed like a worm, howling in agony. Veins tightening from his neck, through his eyes, to the millipede. A light left his eyes, leaving him crumbling lifelessly to the deck. Once Enigma removed the device, Salim was down for the count. And the beautiful orange glow confirmed the deed was done.

"I've got it!" She kicked Salim in the ribs. "Thank you, Salim, for your contribution!"

Slytunkhamen, ignoring his wound, howled at Murray, "THROW ME!" Murray didn't need to be told twice. He whirled around and pitched a fast raccoon down center field. He curled to a flip crossing his hooked canes to Enigma's neck. As he stooped to a landing, he tossed Enigma over his shoulder and sent her flying headfirst into an empty crate. She was hearing bells. Salim's limp form was plastered to the floor. He was breathing, thank goodness.

Murray mounted the van, leaving fresh tire treads as he sped to the raccoons. Bentley does out of the way. He would have been a turtle pancake. Doesn't sound appetizing. Slytunkhamen threw Salim over his shoulder. The van whipped around. Slytunkhamen jumped in as the doors parted. "GO, GO, GO!" Slytunkhamen urged. Murray took off for the beach by the safe house.

The fray caused Alauna to come back to her senses. She hears Ahlii Parda laughing, feeling her blood boiling with abject hatred. "We are family. As I have said. This must complicate matters for you."

"Not at all." A swift kick dislocated his kneecap. As he crumbled, she drove an uppercut that broke his jaw, and ended her onslaught by winding in a spin, "I HOPE YOU CAN DOG PADDLE!" One last kick sent him flipping off the boat and onto a floating piece of debris. A lot of that seems to be floating around.

"WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING?!" A thorny whip wrapped and hooked to her neck. Enigma tugged hard, almost breaking the frail bones inside, and smashed her boot to Alauna's face. She planted both to the deck, crushing her skull under foot. "You wish me dead? Very well." She had stolen one of Alauna's discarded swords, aiming for her chest. "BUT I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME!"

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Bentley fired his rockets, charging straight on for Enigma.

Enigma whipped around. Her whip snagged Bentley's incoming chair by the wheel. Spinning her entire body, she swung Bentley in a circle, and sent him skipping painfully across the deck of the ship. The belt of his chair snapped. He flew out, rebounding off a wall, collapsing with no breath in his lungs.

"BENTLEY!" Alauna's fingered ground to her sword hilt. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THAT, YOU BITCH!"

"How cute!" She mocked, raising the shorter sword. "Instead of the raccoon, you've fallen for the turtle. You never did have good taste!" Alauna, lost for energy and patience, charged blindly, swinging her sword with no accuracy or refinement. She was like Bob. Swinging a club until she hit something. Her vision blurred, her muscles weighed like lead, everything was spinning. Enigma danced around her crude strikes, finding pleasure in her struggles. But too much time was wasted. She effortlessly swatted Alauna's sword. It staked to the mast. She connected two fierce kicks. Alauna's back bounced off the side. Her lungs tightened.

Bentley shook of his daze, crying in horror as Enigma stood over Alauna. The sword being drawn back to end her life. _Not this...not again,_ He begged. Back in Bob's and now here, Alauna was on the brink of death. No one was close by, able to save her from a heinous end. She was unable to defend herself. Enigma taunted Alauna, tapping at the thin veins of her neck. _I have to reach her! I MUST!_ He planted his hands, rage and desperation boiling inside of him. Spasms jolted his legs.

Enigma drew the sword back. Both hands on the hilt. Alauna too weak to evade or block the attack. "TIME TO DIE, ALAUNA LEA PARDE."

"NOOO…" Enigma thrust the sword. Gloved hands wrapped to the blade, halting the tip half a centimeter before it so much as touched Alauna's forehead. Enigma and Alauna both just stopped. Bentley had hold of the sword. His little legs - HIS ERECT LEGS - trembling.

"Bentley…!" Alauna rasped.

"Impossible!" Enigma gasped.

Before she could counter, a cane hooked her by the neck. She was wrenched back. A fist plowed into her spine, the shock constricting her lungs. Shakily she twisted her head. Her eyes widened at Sly who winked at her. He rolled onto his back, pressing his feet to her, and sent her hurtling up and over the edge. The strange hand of luck continued to stretch. The aircraft she favored was waiting to pick her up. A grappling hook saved Rajah from his floating island and the pair retreated. They had what they needed. No reason to stick around. Certainly Ahlii Parda can figure out when a deal is done and over with.

Speaking of Ahlii Parda, the odds amassing against him were staggering. Granted, that flying craft subtracted their numbers by 3. But those numbers were replaced by confederates slipping in on a boat. Sly, Bob, and Carmelita had arrived via a rowboat that had eluded him. Not only was the stealthy raccoon circling to his left, his fox friend had her lightning harnessing trained on him, and the furry behemoth was drooling venomously, stalking closer with talons and fangs bared. To his far right, a once crippled Turtle and a very angry Leopardess encroached upon him. A thirst for blood was ripe in the air. The odor seeping from every pore on Alauna. He glanced to where his captives were held. Ropes was scattered on the water. The receding tide allowed him to see that all the thieves were rescued. Another advantage lost to him. As much as it pained his pride to admit, this was checkmate.

"Hmph. Well played, Cooper Gang. Well played." Ahlii Parda threw his weapons down in surrender. The surrounding thieves weren't buying it. "I assure you, this is no trick." He raised his hands. "I acknowledge my defeat, and humbly place myself at your mercy." Alauna and Carmelita scoffed, rolling their eyes. He was a ham for drama. He wasn't so charming anymore. "But I must ask, what will you do with me? What CAN you do with me?!" He slyly glanced to Alauna and Bentley, relishing in their rigid anxiety. "Will you subject me to the same punishment as the thieves? Or will you deal swift judgment upon me now?"

"Nothing!" Sly snapped. The response baffled Ahlii Parda. A sucker punch of confusion sent him for a loop. "I have a feeling, no matter what we do with you, you'll escape and go back to your old tricks. And besides," He shared devoted stares with his team, "We aren't like you. We aren't so twisted that we'd torture you." Ahlii Parda held doubts on some, but found his declaration noble. "But we will warn you! Don't you ever hurt Salim, the thieves, or anyone in this city again! We will find out!"

"Duly noted, and chilled intently." He purred. He shot a glance to Alauna and Bentley, making the two close in together. Ahlii Parda snickered at them. "Take care of yourselves. I am certain this is not the last I will see of you!" Ahlii Parda disappeared over the edge of the boat. By the lack of splash, he likely found a means to escape to the dry land. Again, there's a lot of those lately. None of that mattered now. It was finally over...and it wasn't ending with them making a last ditch effort escape into a blind leap in time.

The battle was theirs. The turmoil of Arabia was finished. Sauperifically. One reward is Ahlii Parda won't be causing trouble for anyone anytime soon. The bad news, however, is that he is free to begin at a later time. One torrent at a time. Even so, in spite of what they managed to accomplish, has eluded The Cooper Gang. Not only did Ahlii Parda, Rajah, and Enigma escape, but Salim's head was a successful subject for that millipede. Or so they assumed by Enigma's reaction. And yet still, even with all these failures taunting them, the true plan of Penelope still oblivious to them, none of it truly mattered. Because...capturing everyone's starstruck attention - fervent doubt raging in their minds - was Bentley...standing. Not figuratively in a sense of battle honor. But literally on his own...two...feet.

Alauna cupped both of his cheeks, convinced she was delusional. Bentley's own gawking touch dropped her to both knees. It was real. He was...he was… "Bentley...you're...standing…"

 **To be continued**

 **Yeah. Rushed through the ending. Why? This was taking too long.**


	24. Team Meeting

**Team Meeting**

 **This is going to be really short. I came up with it and it was nagging me until I posted it.**

 **Moving on.**

 **xxx**

 **(Sly POV)**

 _I'm...not exactly sure where to start right now. Sly, Murray, Bentley, and Carmelita stood around confused near their Arabian. Itching their skulls, they glanced around to one another to figure out what they were supposed to do next. None of them knew. Do I comment on how for the first time since the guys found me we aren't racing at mach speeds, leaping into a blind breach of the time stream, trying to escape by the skin of our teeth. With a guest or two in tow. Sly pursed his lips, tapping his chin in deep thought of his ancestors. Bob and Slytunkhamen were tending to an injured Salim propped to a pine tree. Slytunkhamen fanning him, while Bob put ice cubes that instantly melted on his forehead. He was in an out of consciousness. The scars were bad. Or do I start with the fact that Alauna is biologically related to the leopards who are a significant part of my family's history? Alauna hid behind a tree, arms wrapped tightly to her knees. Sly sighed heavily. Or do we start with the universally obvious elephant on the beach being...BENTLEY IS WALKING! Bentley blankly tap dancing, and doing a Russian Can-Can. He couldn't explain it either. Murray kept poking his legs, thinking they were fake. I'll comment on it all. Let's start with the fact we haven't made a dramatic exit yet. Kinda bummed on that one. Those were my adrenaline rushed for the day._

 _Murray was tending to the van, buffing out a few scrapes and dents. This is the first time we've been able to return to our hideout and regroup after a major fight.  Sly ran a hand over his sweaty neck. Carmelita lied to a boulder, straining to catch her breath. She was getting too old for this. It was a nice change of pace, but it left us questioning what to do next. So far since the guys rescued me, Murray's had to send the van into overdrive through the time vortex, killing the van more than once, in order to rescue us from falling to our doom - for a second time, or being buried in snow. Fiery ships were sinking in the bay, clouds of smoke blanketing the sky, and the van with a few scrapes and dings in it. That didn't happen this time. Neither were we forced to bring another groupie along. Salim nodded thankfully to Slytunkhamen and Bob, asking them to stop. He wanted to sleep. Though the pounding in his head was keeping him awake._

 _Sly glared to the wood covered bay. We barely escaped the fight with our lives. Ahlii Parda was definitely the most terrifying person we've faced so far.  His tactics were familiar. Scary familiar. Though, once again, one of Penelope's friends escaped with a Cooper Skill. Considering it's Salim, I can only guess which skill was ripped from his skull. When Salim is up for it, they will test out his theory. Bob and Slytunkhamen were the concern now. Granted Bob and Slytunkhamen didn't have much say in whether or not they left with us, leaving them in their time periods without their Cooper skills was risky. Even without their canes like before, they would have survived. Right now, with the shape they are left in, I'm not so sure. Debating on bringing Salim along. Might have to. It's not like we can take them back once they come with us. Bentley made it clear. The van can only withstand going forward in bursts. Bentley's chart counting in tens as to how far they can leap. Going backwards - he isn't sure what will happen. Bob's era was risky enough. A second trip could be devastating. He spun the chart to a side with a huge question mark. And we don't know if Penelope will send someone back to capture or kill them. There's only one who is supposed to kill them. I won't say his name. An eagle owl he is glad isn't around._

 _Next is Bentley!_

 _I...I can't believe it! Bentley was...honest to god WALKING! Sly knelt to the turtle in awe, eyeing him like an alien. Bentley sat to a rock and flutter kicked his legs. HA! Wow! I mean...this is impossible, and yet miraculous! I'm happy for the guy! Really, I am! Murray was ecstatic! Murray tossed Bentley up and down in the air, hugging him like a squeaky toy. His little tail wagged. For the longest time, Murray blamed himself for Bentley's injury. During our two last capers, we could see it in his eyes he's still kicking himself. Seeing him walking must take that edge off. For now. Murray went over to Carmelita, helping her pluck out a couple more splinters from the boating accident. Sly nodded approvingly, then smiled warmly to his green friend. I'm glad Bentley's walking. I know it's all he's wanted for a long time. Sly laughed in disbelief, patting Bentley on the shoulder in congratulations. I just can't help being suspicious. And I can see he was suspicious too. Bentley kept poking his legs with pins, needles, and even ripped waxed tap off. He felt every ounce of pain. It wasn't an illusion. I was there when it happened. When Bentley lost the use of his legs. Bentley hasn't been able to walk since...since the Klaww Gang was defeated. Sly and Bentley's eyes lit up in horrific realization. The furrows in their brows conveyed they were both thinking the same thing. Bentley pulled out a doodled on photo of Penelope._

 _Penelope! She has to be the cause of all this! Sly nearly crushed the photo in his hands. Seeing that witch smiling, not even letting it slip what a rat she is. It enraged him. A few years back, we had snuck aboard a blimp belonging to a guy named Arpeggio, the leader of the Klaww Gang, who had taken possession of all of our clockwork parts. The worst year of their lives. Stomach, lungs, tailfeathers - every part of Clockwerk stolen by a flight inept bird. He wanted immortality, but was double crossed by one of his agents, and had that taken from him. And then he was crushed, never to be heard from again. Between those two, Bentley pushed his chair closer, feeling a strong urge to sit in it, Bentley was put in a chair for the rest of his life. It hasn't stopped him from walking all over us here and there, but it definitely made Bentley into a sort of mad genius. No one can say they haven't noticed how devious Bentley's become since getting that chair. A cartoon of Bentley cackling while a city burned beneath him made Sly shudder. That aside, this is no laughing matter. He shoved the image aside, returning to the turtle situating in his chair. Bentley being able to walk again - though a happy occasion - meant something was very wrong with the time stream. Could it mean that Arpeggio is...alive? Is Neyla alive? Or did Penelope use the Time Machine for more than just ambushing my ancestors? We need to get answers fast. Pulling Rajan, Bison, and Contessa into this mess may have just been the scratch on the surface. The trio stood back to back, chuckling menacingly._

 _Alauna surprised me. She was tracing circles in the sand. I figured she more than anyone would be overjoyed for Bentley's miracle. Instead...she seemed sick. She was a lighter shade of blue, looking like she would vomit at any second. Sly's body debated move towards are staying away from her. His ears sank. I haven't told her yet, but I caught bits of the conversation she was having with Enigma during their fight. "You should have stayed dead," She said. It chilled me to the bone. Sly folded his arms, stroking his chin with a hard stare. Does Alauna know who Enigma is? If so, why isn't she telling us? Telling me? I'd ask her but...she's still shell shocked by her latest discovery. To be honest, so am I._

 _Pardelaytra and Salim said as much, but none of us wanted to believe it until their was concrete evidence. More than just a resemblance. Spot, Pardelaytra, Ahlii Parda, and Alauna - all mirror similar in looks, but opposites in morals. Bentley provided the evidence when he compared the DNA he got from the others to Alauna's. Bentley moaned regretfully, showing Sly the tests and results on his tablet. The matches - on all ten tests Bentley ran - came up rock solid. Sly clamped a hand to his mouth, feeling his stomach churn. Alauna is the descendant of...the Leopards. The hated enemies of my family. Alauna buried her face into her knees. Alauna is already convinced her methods terrify us. That we're scared of her and her skills. Learning that she shares the blood of the family that's tried to kill mine must have been a breaking point. I don't know how we can move forward like this. Alauna snuck a glance back at Bentley and Sly. The two waved innocently, and she turned away from them. Bentley and Sly were hurt, but not surprised.  After everything Salim has said about her, about the Leopards, what if Alauna decides to stop traveling with us? To leave us? I don't want her to go! She's family! Salim glared through wincing eyes at Alauna, then looked to Sly and Bentley, saying with his eyes, "I told you so." They scowled at him. I don't care who she's related to. This doesn't change anything! Alauna is part of the Cooper Gang and one of our best friends. I won't let her drift away. Not like this._

 _Sly plopped to the sand, reeling his stiff neck. All of these problems, and no way to solve them. We need to get some answers! And our one source is back at our hideout in Paris.  Sly froze in shock. Now that I think about it, we haven't spoken to Dimitri AT ALL. Well, I haven't. The guys? Not sure if they wanted to talk to him. Eyes the communication device. I wonder if he misses us at all_.

 **(POV end)**

 **xxx**

While Bentley worked on raising Dimitri on the com link, Carmelita finished cleaning the stab wound in Slytunkhamen's legs. A clean through and through, missing several tendons. He'll be walking again in no time. The worst of his treatment was the stitches needed to close his wound. Carmelita applied an anesthetic Bentley kept to help numb the pain. Unfortunately, Slytunkhamen has a small fear of needles, thus making his treatment unbearable. He wasn't blamed. Sly hated needles too. Once he was fixed up, she then moved on the Bentley who was sport a gash that slice his glove to his palm. Serves him right for stopping a sword with his bare hands. He didn't require as many stitches as Slytunkhamen, but he wasn't going to be able to use his hand excessively until the wound has a chance to close properly. He's worked one handed before for hack jobs. Although pulling off jobs might prove to be a little more difficult.

As Bentley slipped on another glove, communications finally broke through to Dimitri back in Paris. He was lounging around somberly, seeming to be bummed out about something. When he saw Bentley, Sly, and Murray on the communications array, he made a rapid recovery.

" _BAAH-HA-HA-HA! SLY COOPER!_ " Dimitri sobbed ear piercingly loud, crying into one of his handkerchiefs from his night club. Recently opened, doing well for its first year. Monogrammed handkerchiefs are an advertisement. " _RACCOONUS DOODUS! YOU'RE ALIVE!_ " Dimitri flew into a waterfall of happy tears, blowing a trumpet into tissue paper. The holographic com trembled, generating snot and tears that dispersed into pixels. Sly, Murray, and Bentley cringed, laughing weakly at his drama. He is prone to overreact. But what can they do? He missed Sly just as much. Carmelita and the others decided it would be best if they linger off to the side. The ancestors since they have no clue who this crying lizard is, Alauna simply because she's not in the mood to be flirted with, and Carmelita because she would have to question how he escaped his prison cell from Rome. Which she knew was due to Sly. " _My house was bummed up, and I was down lower than the ants in pants! The dance floor - she has been void of the music without you, Bro!_ "

"Umm...thanks, Dimitri. I missed you too." Sly droned confusedly. Dimitri is pro at speaking in tongues. Sly, Murray, and Bentley just learned to roll with it. "Listen, I want to reminisce with you, but this is important!" Dimitri's sobbing stopped on a dime, and he threw his tissue aside. Important usually meant there was huge trouble. Sly and the others gave cliff notes as to what's been going on for the past few days. Penelope returning, members from his old gang showing up, and the skills of the Cooper ancestors being stolen straight from their heads. He left out the parts involving the leopards, Bentley's legs, and their van situation. Those would make this summarized story too long. "The last time the Ancestors were attacked, the Thievius Raccoonus started to erase itself of all the Cooper history, and time itself was unraveling. Changing! I need you to check the book, and also check the web to see if anything stands out!"

" _On it like bedazzle, Raccoon!_ " He saluted, then slithered off to start searching. This was going to be a while.

"Bedazzle?" Salim groaned.

"Nevermind." Carmelita waved off. This is centuries over his head, and thankfully nothing he'd have to worry about. _Those bedazzle jewels are a joke!_ Carmelita's attention ghosted to Alauna up in the rafters. Immersed in the shadows, she fiddled with two halves of her treasured pendant. One she's kept for years, and the other that fell off Enigma. Who, by the look in her, Alauna confirmed to be Former Constable Neyla. Sad eyes glossing over the pendant, her thumb caressing the jewel. Carmelita saw her taking glimpses of Bentley, then knotting over the pendant. Alauna is good at considering all scenarios and possibilities. But seeing Bentley stand was cold hard evidence. Neyla is Enigma, and she is alive. And if Bentley is walking, what else has Penelope undone to history?

" _Okay! I return!_ " Dimitri slammed the book to the desk, rummaging through the pages of Slytunkhamen to Salim. He compared them to brief notes he took on his phone, humming in deep thought as certain areas weren't matching up. Which is good, but very unnerving. " _Okay, Cooper dudes! The good news is, our disco track is still on the same beat! No switch ups!_ " They'll take that to mean present day is still in tact. There's still bad news, however. " _The not so good news?_ " He showed them the book, skipping to pages with enormous blank spaces. " _Looks like The Coopers are losing what makes them Coopers! No special talents, no real Cooper History!_ "

Slytunkhamen and Salim had chunks of their history erased. Starting with the techniques they developed to become master thieves in the first place, leading into the heists they've pulled because of those techniques. Slytunkhamen's invisibility technique is what inspired future Coopers to utilize their surroundings, and harness the ways of invisibility to their advantage. As they've come to fear, the section containing Salim's cobra climb was void. A recent addition Bentley made. Salim's cobra climb, though solely his, encouraged precedence in Coopers in swift climbing, and maneuverability on climbing points. Salim's mule headed pride refused to let a book dictate what he can or cannot do. Once his strength returned, he would see for himself if his Cobra Climb is truly gone. The bits on Bob were untouched. No surprise there. But the particular sections only vanishing instead of the whole page bothered Sly and the others.

When Le Paradox stole the Cooper canes, the entire history pertaining to the Coopers peeled line by line off the page. Vanishing as if The Coopers never existed. Making his family name the most notorious across the world. A shortsighted, and thwarted plan that brought Sly to the predicament he is in now. Yet here, the daring and memorable feats The Coopers made their stamp in history with were all that was disappearing. Heists in broad daylight no ordinary thief could pull off. The schemes of the century that first put their names in light. Reputations they cultivated that brought the most elite of law enforcement to their knees. All of it was disappearing. In hindsight, if this prolongs, the Coopers will be seen as common criminals with athletic abilities. The very thought made Sly sick to his stomach. The Coopers have engraved into the minds of millions over the generations that they are _The Master Thieves!_ And here is Penelope taking that all away.

" _Dimitri went ahead an checked the future songs on your disk._ " He fluttered the pages. " _And the next beat is a bit too medieval for Dimitir to properly groove to._ " Medieval made Carmelita smile brightly. She knows who's coming up next. Dimitri faced the book to them. The entry of Sir Galleth Cooper set the pin in their next destination. Significant entries remained in tact, but bits and pieces in more minor areas were changing. " _The Knight of the Ringtailed table is next on the list."_ Bentley ran a scan on the jump from Ancient Arabia to Medieval England. It would be their biggest leap yet since accidentally visiting Bob, but he was sure the van would be able to make it. Dimitri grimly closed the book, setting it aside. His fingers balled into fists. He furrowed his brow to Dimitri. " _Sly, the scratches on the track are showing._ " He warned in an uncharacteristically ominous tone. The room became unnervingly tense. " _Soon the whole record will be covered, and it will never be able to be played again._ " He leaned in close. Sly weaved back, swallowing a lump in his throat. Dimitri can be scary. Who knew. " _These scratches have to be sealed in. Take down the mouth causing them._ "

All eyes gaped in utter amazement. For the first time in...ever, Dimitri's message was scary loud and abundantly clear. An all new fire ignited in Sly's chest. Murray, Bentley, and Carmelita were itching for their next fight. They shared smirking nods. "We will. Thanks, Dimitri. Keep us updated." Dimitir wished them luck, and Sly ended the call. "You heard him. We have to go see Galleth next. Great…" Sly huffed. Not that he doesn't love Galleth. He's the second one on Carmelita's crush list.

"What about Salim?" Murray asked. Like it's been said, Salim's the first Cooper not dragged along against his will to the next time period. Cooper history is already in a rut. Taking him along might make it worse. "What are we going to do about him? We can't just leave him here. But can we take him?" His question raised confused stares across the room. Bob and Slytunkhamen thought it best to keep their opinions silent. While having another of their kin join them would be enjoyable, the damage being wrought makes them too nervous to reply.

"I will go with you!" Salim spat venomously. He tore off the cloth soothing the throbbing swelling on his scalp. Tiny bumps showed on his skin as he ran his fingers over tender welts. Those scars weren't going away anytime soon. "I want to skin alive the witch who dared place that horrid bug on my head!" He frothed at the mouth, struggling to bring his feet under him. Sly and Carmelita offered to help him up. He shooed them off, balancing to the wall to stand. He is old, not feeble. He won't be treated like it any longer. "Most importantly, I will teach to her the consequences of attacking my family! She will know the full wrath of the Cooper name!" And there's that famed Cooper stubbornness and pride. Meaning there's no changing his mind. Not that Sly, Bob, or Slytunkhamen planned to deny him.

"Glad that's settled!" Carmelita pat his shoulder, glad to have him aboard.

"Alright. Time to get to work before we leave." Bentley stated. He alternated his chair wheels, heading for spot in the hideout where he'd be able to come up with their next game plan. He intends to be ready for whatever or whoever Penelope decides to throw at them. Considering it's Sir Galleth is next, Penelope herself might show up. She's the only one with backhand knowledge of that era of England. Though he can't rule out another. And, in light of recent discoveries, he would do a little side research on any leopards who might be part of Galleth's life.

"Um, Bentley," Carmelita timidly chimed, "You know you don't need the chair anymore, right?" Alauna's shoulders tensed. Her fangs bit into her lip.

Bentley paused feeling slightly silly. He bounced his rejuvenated legs, blinking in awe that they were actually moving. His fingers tightened to the wheels, body bracing itself against the teeming buzzing in his nerves. "I...I know." He rasped. His throat ran dry. _That's right. I can walk again._ "I just don't feel complete without it." Understandable. He's been in it for so long. Accomplished the impossible and proved crippled are dangerous. Why shouldn't he be allowed to use it.

"How is this even possible? You've been paralyzed for years!" Carmelita had to say what everyone was thinking. As usual, she didn't consider her words before speaking.

Alauna's fury was sent skyrocketing, unable to stand Carmelita's idiotic question. "After all you've seen, THAT'S your question!" The outrage struck the air like a bolt out of the blue. Sly almost jumped out of his fur. He'd almost forgotten she was up there. She rolled off the beam, landing to a knee and hand, rising with a terrifyingly glowing glare. Her fangs protruded as she growled ferally. "Penelope's done something to the time continuum! Pulling people from random parts of time is screwing everything up!" She jabbed a furious hand toward him, "That's how you can walk, and-and how SHE'S alive, and-AND..." Her hands were flailing rampantly, gesturing to those not even in the room. She pulled at her hair.

"She? She who?" Murray questioned.

Alauna's fury was iced over. She curled her flapping lips in, mentally cursing herself. "She...no one." She turned her back to the ogling group, hugging hands to her elbows. She could feel them all burrowing fretful gazes into her back, desperate for her to explain what she meant. Carmelita, on the other hand, pretended to inspect her shock pistol.

Sly came around, reaching a hand for her shoulder. "Alauna…"

"I need some air." She escaped the hand, storming to the water. Bob and Slytunkhamen didn't stop her. Salim, however, muffled his breath of relief at her leaving. Sly can't say he's too shocked she's putting distance between her and her friends. After all, she did learn that she's related to a family of Leopard who are the sworn enemies of the Coopers. But he is hurt. Normally Alauna would open up to one of them when she's bothered. After the fight with Ahlii Parda, there's this barrier she's chosen to immerse herself in. No one can seem to penetrate it.

"/Does she seem off?/" Bob scratched his head pensively.

"After the past few days, I'm surprised any of us are sane." Slytunkhamen rumbled, sinking to the floor. He's exhausted.

"She's right, though." Carmelita inserted. "We should all take this time to breathe." Bentley agreed with that assessment. The beach was lovely this time of day.

 **xxx**

Alauna found a ledge a foot above the calming waves. Her boots off to the side, she dipped her feet into the water, creating little whirlpools to watch pieces of seaweed twirl. Fish swam up curiously and kissed her toes. Alauna fidgeted at the tickling, but wasn't in any sort of mood to giggle. Too dampened by...everything. _Neyla is alive!_ She declared. She can deny it all she wants. The evidence is right in front of her. Neyla Kapur was alive, well, and still causing mayhem wherever she goes. Asking how or why would be an insult. _Penelope!_ Neyla was an integral part in capturing Sly and his gang a few years back. She led them by a string for months, never once letting it show that she had them walking over a pit of spikes. She almost shoved them in, never to be seen or heard from as they lie there writhing. Were it not for their ability to bounce back after a massive setback, Sly, Murray, and Bentley would not be here today.

She won't continue to lie to herself that she isn't happy Neyla's alive. It's taking every ounce of her being not to find somewhere to go and scream in glee that her oldest friend has come back from the dead. At the same time, she wants to howl in rage. Because of her she almost lost Sly, Carmelita was shamed, Murray was subjected to a spice induced rage, and Bentley... _Oh Bentley._ She put Bentley in that chair. Alauna will never forget how many ribbons her insides tore into when she got the news. She was on a job in New Zealand. She dropped everything and raced to the hospital in Paris. Bentley was paralyzed from the waist down, and was in a full body cast for months. _Damn you, Neyla!_ It wasn't enough to betray them! She had to break them! She didn't need to, but it was all she wanted since Alauna first met them. The only way she thought would guarantee Alauna would stay by her side forever.

"Neyla…" She clutched the pendant halves in her hands, tears trickling to her cheeks, "Why wasn't it enough that I loved you first?!"

Grounding sand tingled Alauna's ears. She dried her tears and put the charm away. There was no need for her to turn around. She knows the sound of Bentley's wheelchair anywhere. He left a sizeable gap, able to deduce she wasn't ready for close contact. Her tail was wrapped around her hips, and her ears were drooping. Bentley sighed dismally. She was in horrible shape. But she wasn't yelling at him to leave, so he wouldn't.

"Alauna…" She flinched at his voice. "I know you're upset. But you can't...you can't..." _She can't what, Bentley?_ She can't close herself off? Can't shun people away? What does he expect her to do after what she's learned? Brush it off and come back smiling? No sane person would do that.

"You used those hairs." She spoke softly. Bentley arched a brow. "The ones I saw in the van. In the baggies. They had hairs from Spot and the other two, didn't they?" She scoffed loathingly, stroking strands of her hair. ""

"You saw those?" Bentley gasped. Of course she saw them. Explains why she isn't looking at him. "When did you find them?"

"Back in Bob's home before our assault on Bison." Bentley groaned miserably. He knew he should have kept those in his shell. Alauna took his silence as admission of guilt. "I was confused by them at first. Now I see what they were. I won't ask how you got them. Only how easy was it to get my DNA!" She snarled.

"Alauna, let me explain." He begged.

"There's nothing TO explain! Don't insult me by tryin' tuh sugar coat it!" Her Irish accent broke through. She's furious. She pushed up on her palms, swinging to her feet. Her sudden height caught Bentley off guard, plastering his back to his chair. The rippling anger in her eyes wasn't helping his melting spine. "I share blood with th' Coopers' ancient enemies! As if I'm not dangerous enough!" Her pupils narrowed to slits. "How long have ya known?!" She barked.

"Since…" Bentley breathed defeated. He twisted himself, unable to meet her gaze. _Don't make me say!_ Alauna planted a hand to his chair, gripping his chin in a vice and wrenching his eyes to her. Her glossing rage asked him again, and warned him not to lie twice. "Since Salim and I went into the library." He's known for a while.

"Why did ya hide those hairs from me?! Why didn't ya tell me you were runnin' an analysis?!"

"Because I didn't want to distract you!" Bentley erupted. He shook his head. He won't dance around it and pretend she won't catch on. He can't do that to her now. "Ahlii Parda already weaseled himself into your head! Took you off your game!" He wheeled closer, extending open palms for her to take his plight to heart. "I had to be sure before I made you worry! I needed the right time to tell you! And when I saw you almost kill Ahlii Parda..." He trailed off. That was as good a time as any.

"Worry about what?!" She ripped her hand off, jerking his head sideways. "That it's my destiny to betray and hurt Sly? Or that I come from a long line of mentally unstable sociopaths?! How about both!" She roared.

"Alauna, none of that is true about you! You would never hurt Sly, and you definitely are nothing like your ancestors! Except for Spot." He added with a shrug. Spot is loveable, kind, and adorable. Everything Alauna is. She laughed derisively out loud, throwing her hands in the air at the weak flattery. What does he take her for? "Alauna, please! I can't imagine what you're feeling! But you have to understand that our family isn't what defines us! It's what we do ourselves!"

 _Ourselves?_ Alauna snorted at the meager pep talk. SHE defines herself. "Then I guess that's all I need to hear." She lowered her head, a sad smile on her face. Everything she's done for since she was a child. Murder, kidnappings, bludgeonings - she's an out of control vigilante looking to make a few bucks. "I can kill people without a second thought! Plunge a sword or fire a bullet straight through their hearts! Put on a face to lure others into a false sense of security, and then turn on them the second the opportunity presents itself!" From the tips of her ears to the tip of her tail, she is a feline fatale leopardess with a twisted moral compass. Everything her ancestors have proven to be. "I'm not different from my ancestors. If anything, the family torch was passed to me and I'm fanning their flames."

"NO YOU ARE NOT!" Bentley screamed scatchingly. He won't hear this sort of talk from her. That's Ahlii Parda talking. "YOU'RE NOTHING LIKE PARDELAYTRA OR AHLII PARDA!"

"HOW?!" She challenged him, tears welling in her eyes.

"You don't let what you're capable of control you!" And Bentley knows full well what she can do when pushed beyond her limit. "Alauna, I've seen more than enough times how easy it is for you to kill somebody! And I've seen you do it with a smile!" A trademark of hers to warn her enemies that death was coming. "But I see that the smile is fake, and that you exercise restraint! You don't kill for thrills! You kill because it's either you or them!" He lunged from his chair, grabbing her hands. Alauna's legs lost strength briefly at his walking. This will take getting used to. "I'd rather lose my legs again than see you die."

Alauna's fingers curled to his hand. The warmth seeping to her palm made her blush. She gently tugged to see if Bentley would let go. On top his hardened stare, Bentley's grip remained sturdy. Alauna released a breath with a light smile. The sincerity in his face. That has to be what she loved most about him. "Thanks, Bentley. But I'm sorry." Bentley was taken aback. Not by her English accent returning, but that she didn't seem moved by him. She slipped her hand free, taking three steps back. She doesn't get a thrill from the kill? Was he serious? He must have selective memory. Because, back on that boat, Alauna craved to see Enigma and Ahlii Parda's blood soak to that deck. She loves the feel of bones breaking on her fist, listening to the anguished screams of her victims. Everything her ancestors reveled in. "I'm glad your faith in me is rock steady. But I don't think it's safe for you to be around me."

"What...what are you saying?" He hesitated.

 _What am I saying?_ She interrogated herself. She doesn't want to leave them. _Do I?_ "I...I just need to be alone for a while. That's all. Collect my thoughts." Bentley tried to protest, but she had already walked past him, heading into the city. "Call me when we're leaving." And with that she disappeared around the corner.

"Yeah. Of course." Bentley closed his hand, able to feel Alauna's within it. He had a sickly feeling if he followed her to that corner, she'd be gone without a trace. Just when it seems as if he's bridged that gap she stand behind, three more appear in its place, growing in length every time. Regardless, he'll cross them as many times as it takes until Alauna realizes she can't keep him away. "Allie...there's no one I feel safer around."

 **To be continued.**


	25. Join the Carnival

**Join the Carnival**

 **Moving on.**

 **Alright! Time for Galleth to make his debut.**

 **xxx**

Shrill grinds of drilling reverberated past a solid metal door. Guards wielding heavy machine guns would meander idly on patrol, cringing as the screeching pierced their sensitive ears. Flickering flashes from intense heat lit up in the one small window imbedded in the door. The darkened corridor blindingly flooded, chasing away the more optically sensitive guard into their holes. Sparks flying in every direction rebound off the coated window, slipping down the walls in a liquid fire. What was untainted metal was slowly being tarnished by charred grooves running down. The resemblance to a poor soul seeking to claw their way to freedom haunted the mind. But, in reality, nothing so horrendous was transpiring behind that door. No-No. Merely scientific and engineering prowess at its finest at work.

Arpeggio was becoming increasingly displeased with mincing about his new Tri-Spire blimp on a glorified perch swing. Swaying left to right as metallic limbs trudge about, listening to the inane mutterings and snickering of his and his master's underlings, pretending to ignore them. His unparalleled genius diminished and outweighed by his irreversible, and rather innocuous handicap. The humiliation will never cease so long as he does not instill the same fear and revulsion amongst the troops as his master does. Bison, the covetous troglodyte, will always be his loyal comrade. Penelope, the beautiful RC specialist, is completely devoted to him, and her pursuit to end Cooper and Bentley and their friends. The others, on the other hand, are treasonous wretches waiting in the shadows, lurking close for the opportune moment to depose him, and return him to the deathly abyss he was saved from at the last possible moment. Literally. Their constant failure to eliminate Cooper and his friends is all the proof he needs that their rebellion is nigh. For now, he will sound tolerant that none of the Cooper Gang Members and their Present Day Females are alive and well. After all, what fun is there is torturing someone if they're dead?

"Okay...and…" Penelope hummed intently, prodding her tiny pen-drill at backwards facing joints. Sparks bounced off her deflecting goggles, illuminating the drive in her eyes, "Done!" She blew on the heated joints, cooling the stylish branding on the caps. Arpeggio required engineering expertise equal to his own. Though renowned for her unbridled RC skills, Penelope isn't too shabby when it comes to building high-tech, moderate density alloy armors. Complete with cup holders. Her Black Knight Suit notwithstanding as it was a prototype. "These should suit you needs perfectly." She arranged a set of crane legs on her work table, polishing off a few imperfections. "Taking your physique into account, and measuring the lengths of your legs, you should be able to walk about on your own." She picked up an incomplete stainless steel wing, humming thoughtfully as she stretched and fiddled with the inner-skeleton. "The wings, on the other hand, we'll need to include a propulsion mechanism if you want to fly."

"What a coincidence!" Arpeggio chortled, showing Penelope a pair of jets perfectly suited to his size. "I happened to begin work on a solution for that particular obstacle." Penelope smirked at his foresight. She knew there was a reason she adored him. He's not so short sighted or naive as Bentley. Although, idiocy does still look a lot cuter on the turtle. "So, my dear, has our new shipment of Cooper Cognition arrived yet?"

"Rajan and _Enigma_ should be returning from Arabia any minute now." Right on cue, three abrasive knocks thundered on the steel door. Rajan slammed the door open, denting the wall. Enigma sauntered in. Arpeggio and Penelope were impassive to the loud bang, but growled irritably at his lack of tact. Such behavior from a childish, wish he was, King isn't surprising, but is certainly not tolerated. "So nice of you to join us." Penelope droned grudgingly. She pretended to be more interested in the unfinished wing than the two hired muscles.

"I trust you both were successful." Arpeggio emphasised the obscure warning should they disappoint him. Enigma purposefully threw the loaded millipede in Penelope's space. She smiled at the yelp squeaking from the mouse. It's gratifying to rankle her. "Well done! Well done! Praise all around!" Arpeggio applauded, marveling at the squealing robotic insect. Small, elegant, disgusting, and yet so devastating in its power. Much like him. "With the ability of Salim Al-Kupar's Cobra Climb technique, we are one step closer to our goal!" Rajan and Penelope were drooling hungrily. The ultimate goal. The one that will stain the _prestigious_ heritage of the Cooper clan, and drown them in humiliation, failure, and expose to the world the fraud that family is. The Thievius Raccoonus' evaporation will be but a small night cap in securing their victory. "Hmm…" Arpeggio's fawning was interrupted by Enigma's vacant stare into the floor. Her lack of enthusiasm sating his swelling ego was killing his mood. "What is on your mind, Assassin?" She broke from her stupor, blinking confused by his question. "What troubles you?"

"Nothing…" She growled under her breath, turning sideways.

"Spare us your wounded pride...NEYLA!" Rajan snarled. She tensed at her name, earning curious glares from both Penelope and Arpeggio. "The Bounty Hunter, Alauna, learned of our masked Assassin's true identity."

"SHE WHAT?!" Penelope boomed. She does speak. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU LET THAT HAPPEN?!"

"I didn't let anything happen, Rodent!" Neyla pried her mask off. The scars etched into his face breathing in fresh air. Her once long brown locks shaved away, leaving only a curved row of hairs down the middle. "Alauna has never been much of the neanderthal as she presents herself to be! I don't know how she-" By habit she went to fiddle with her pendant, horror stricken to find it gone from her neck. A set of cuts stung her neck as her fingers brushed over them. "My necklace…" She gaped in utter shock, recounting her last encounters with Alauna. At the city walls when she fell, she felt a hard yank but soon lost consciousness. "Alauna must have it!"

"Well, well, it would seem my student has become grievously perceptive in these short few years." Arpeggio chuckled adoringly. Her application of history and linguistics has cultivated her into quite the puzzle solver.

"Please! A necklace gave it away!" Penelope dissolved this wasted praise. She frothed murderously at Neyla. "I told you to toss it!"

"No! The necklace only raised inquiries! The turtle walking again is what gave it away!" If that weren't the case, Alauna would have called Neyla out on her identity from the beginning. No. She had to be sure, gather further evidence before confirming a hypothesis. That's how she operates. Alauna's always followed the Cooper Gang's exploits step by step, learning of their every mission. If she didn't know better, she'd think Alauna walked side by side with them on every one of their adventures. No doubt her constant hunger for play by play revealed Bentley's paralysis was due to Neyla becoming one with Clockwerk's hollow frame. Her beak should have crushed him to paste. Perhaps this mess would have been avoided. "For a so called _genius_ , it was very idiotic to not consider these sort of repercussions! Someone who claims to be _SO BRILLIANT_ should have known tearing into random parts of history wouldn't solely affect the Coopers Thieving Book!"

"Watch it, Sweetheart! I can still put you back in that wreck before Bentley blew the beak!" Penelope bared her teeth, stomping forward.

"Do it! It will free me from your nasally nagging!" Neyla matched her stride.

"You little-" Her hand blindly went to strike her. The wrist was caught in a vice grip. She winced as Neyla squeezed.

"When you plucked me from the jaws of death, I was willing enough to go along with this lunatic scheme of yours as thanks!" She increased the pressure, adding a little twist. Penelope started to cripple under the pain. Rajan savored watching that self righteous mouse be brought to her knees. "You filling in certain blanks quelled any confusion that may rouse! But do not presume to place blame solely upon us to spare your pride!" She wrenched the arm, throwing Penelope on the floor. What Penelope wouldn't give to strap this wretch down and experiment on her.

"Now, now, Dearest. Neyla is right." Arpeggio finally intervened. No need for a fight to commence. Especially where delicate tools are being constructed and stored. "I, too, appreciate your rescue before Neyla crushed me with her wing. But this minor wrinkle IS due to your inability to not regard your actions further." Penelope spat at the ground. She didn't have to raise her head to know Rajan and Neyla were grinning. "That being said, if Neyla's revival has indeed been discovered, how long before _other_ associates of ours are revealed." A handful of others, including Contessa and Bison, wandered the blimp. A couple worked tirelessly in another lab, adding two more millipedes to their already growing dozen. "Our operation, though still large cloaked in mystery, is gradually coming to light."

"Please don't tell me you're giving up on the plan!" Penelope hissed.

"Not much of a plan! They're aware of the mission our fair Doctor's bugs are on!" Rajan informed them. Bison's little slip permitted as much.

"But they do not know the ultimate goal! That is our element of subterfuge!" Neyla countered aggressively.

"And they will not learn of it until we wish them to." Arpeggio reassured his agitated proteges, motioning his wings for them to relax. "The only reason we have been several steps ahead is because we have anticipated their arrivals, and they've been egregiously in the dark of what was transpiring around them." How the Cooper Gang managed to locate the era Sly was trapped in, and find him is still a mystery he intends to solve. Whatever it was, it must have been clever and just passing average brilliance to reach thousands of years into the future. And considering Alauna is in attendance, she is the culprit who led them to Egypt. The Cooper's are irritatingly clever. "Penelope's presence, coupled by our Time Travels, and the turtle's revitalized waist - specks of light are puncturing holes to our operation." Very small holes that will inevitably grow larger as they poke around.

"So what are you proposing?" Rajan inquired, sensing a point in his long winded explanation.

A sinister grin split Arpeggio's beak. Cogs in a machine, that is how the Cooper Gang's operations are running. Shuffling aimlessly in their daily motions, crushing away at the dirt and grim that's been trying to impede their function. Introduce a new part - a new, more impressive, more oppressive part - and the machine falters moderately. The cogs stiffen, clatter, and struggle to maintain their proper function in order to compete. Only to crumble when they realize they are obsolete. "Why don't we give them a tease as to whom it is they are truly facing?"

 **xxx**

 **(Sly POV)**

 _The van emerging from the time vortex, screeching to a halt on a hill overlooking the small town below. Sly poked his head up from the sun roof, taking in a long breath of Merry old England's air. It was great to be back in England again. Good thing we kept Grizz's old crown for an emergency.  Murray twirled Grizz's old crown on a finger. Salim and the other ancestors depart from the van, gawking in awe of the medieval scenery. Too bad we aren't here to sight see. Or were we? Bentley, out of habit, wheeled himself in his chair to a sign post with a poster on it. He handed it to Sly who itched his head curiously. Apparently we arrived in time for England's Annual Mid Autumn Carnival. A hand painted image of families frolicking in leaves, drinking tankard of ale, and bathing in what was questionably water. Colorful leaves collected and made into rather stylish trinkets, farmers bringing their excess crops to be sold, games and shows attracting the masses from all around. This couldn't have been anymore night and day from before. The town below was in a tizzy. Loud, happy cheers tickled at Murray and Bob's inner children, but the others were confused._

 _Sly pat their shoulders, smiling apologetically that they may not be able to partake in the festival. He then leered harshly to the jubilation. Our last trip to Galleth's time, Penelope - disguised as the Black Knight - had flooded the streets with her own mechanical wolf guards, and terrorized the populace under her black iron grip.  Penelope cackling like a madwoman, standing atop her behemoth suit of armor, and jumping inside her smaller suit of armor. An army of wolves at her command, and Galleth under her foot. On top of that, she imprisoned Galleth in the circus as a joke of an attraction for the guards to humiliate, Penelope peeling Galleth from her metal foot and slamming him to a plank of wood, while she worked on getting his cane to Le Paradox. She mocked him with his cane, picked up a tomato, and threw it at a target, dropping Galleth into a pool of snapping turtles._

 _Carmelita, Sly, Bentley, and Murray loomed on the hill, steadily growing more cautious of the jovial sight. Laughter, fun, and a hint of law enforcement presence. Everything was...dare I say it...NORMAL!  He pouts. Am I the only one suspicious here? Looks to his friends, earning defensive glares. He smiled, Nope, didn't think so. Not that I want to spoil the festivities. Who doesn't love a carnival? Circled a hand, herding everyone to their old hideout in the old tree near town. But this is too perfect. Something definitely has to be going on. The Thievius Raccoonus wouldn't be erasing itself if it wasn't. Murray rams his shoulder, busting the door open. Dust and bugs splattered to his face. Carmelita and the others spread out, inspecting the hideout for occupants. Once we find Galleth, I'm sure some light will be shed on the situation. Flinches as Bob disturbs lanterns filled with fireflies, clapping hysterically at their glowing butts._

 **xxx**

Salim, Slytunkhamen, Murray, and Bentley sat to hand carved stumps against the wall. Carmelita dressed and redressed the wounds they sustained back in Arabia. Nothing too serious, thankfully. The stab wound in Slytunkhamen's leg was a clean through and through, but he'll need to stay off of it. A few bruised ribs for Salim and Murray, nothing they can't walk off later. Bentley's palms had deep gashes running across them from catching Alauna's sword. She's no doctor, but Carmelita is certain they'll all be fine after a while. Sly and Bob fixed up the old place, making it more roomy and presentable. Their time away left the hideout in disarray. Likely squatted in by passers by. They sure wasted no time in helping themselves to Murray's hidden snacks. Unless that was Galleth. Alauna? She hid herself in the highest corner of the hideout, curling up and shunning the rowdy gang in the dark. Sly was willing to leave her well enough alone. It's been...a revealing past couple of days. She needs the space to process everything. Then again, they all have a lot to process. Bentley walking, Salim's Cobra Climb being stolen. That's the assumption, anyway. That technique is special to Salim, like Slytunkhamen's invisibility technique. What is the endgame for Penelope? What does she need with Cooper talents?

Murray peered outside the curtains hearing the merriment arousing. Hundreds of people walking around with treats and smiles, not a care in the world on their shoulders. There weren't any mechanical wolves wandering the streets, terrorizing the people into hiding or doing Penelope's dirty work. Only the typical hedgehogs and owls providing guidance and security during the carnival. He'd never believe by looking at them that Penelope was ever here. Or that Galleth was forced to out on a lame carnival act. Murray didn't see any posters of a performance scheduled with him. As difficult as it is to believe, everything was peaceful. It honestly looked...FUN. A legitimate carnival. Ironically, that brought on the same edge of caution Sly, Bentley, and Carmelita were shouldering. Still…

"Are we sure Galleth's in trouble?" Murray asked skeptically. He opened the curtains, showing the mass of jolly people. "Because I'm not seeing people in trouble."

"It has to be a front." Sly said. Before their jump, Sly and the others learned from Dimitri that Galleth's portion of the Thievius Raccoonus was disappearing next. Luckily, Bentley and Murray's work on the van amplified the power output, mustering enough power to make the jump from BC to AD time streams. Although, Murray's observation holds merit. There doesn't seem to be such going on. Sly returned to the com and raised Dimitri. "Hey, Dimitri, you sure Galleth's next in line?" He doesn't mean to doubt the guy with the book, but…

" _A sure as a record is platinum!_ " He won a record on his finger, blowing off the decades of dust. " _The tracks are being erased! Soon the entire album will be gone!"_ He broke the record in half, throwing it into the trash. He then showed him the book to reassure him Galleth's era was next to change.

"Thanks. Talk to you later." He ended the call, turning Bentley as he fixed his gloves. "We have to find Galleth and get some answers. He has to be here at the carnival somewhere." He'd never be able to resist. It's a thief's playground.

"Agreed. Alauna…" He hesitantly beckoned. Her ear flicked up. She turned over halfway. Her glowering purple eyes brought a chill to everyone's spine. The Ancestors and Carmelita felt the unnerving urge to draw their weapons, or run for their lives. Maybe both. Murray and Sly, on the other hand, were antsy, bracing their palms and feet to jump. Bentley staved off the shivers by swallowing the dry lumps in his throat. _This is getting to her._ "You seem to be having luck tracking down the Coopers. See if you can't locate him." He flashed her a warm smile. She is the best hunter in her field, after all. Bentley can count on her.

It's be the simplest thing to tell him to piss off. She not in the mood for anymore raccoons. Then again, she's been begging for a chance to blow off steam, and it's not like she's doing anything important at the moment. That aside...the smell of raccoon was racking her stomach. "Fine." She replied emotionlessly. She rolled off the beam, landing to a knee and hand. She stretched straight up, cracking her spine base to neck. She's gotten stiff since the boat. She snickered with a dark, toothy grin, "Hunting Coopers IS what I'm good at after all." She purred. Salim, Bob, Slytunkhamen, and Sly involuntarily inched back.

Bentley paled, shrinking inside his shell, "That's not what I-"

"A joke, Bentley." She removed his hat, rubbing his head. "I know what you meant." Bentley wasn't fooled. She wasn't entirely joking. That aside, Bentley's insides turned to mush. Her hand...it was...cold. Ice cold.

"Yes, well, make sure you're careful." Sly advised. "Galleth can be a little… intense." For lack of a better word. They still have bruises from last time.

Alauna scoffed at his claim, returning Bentley's hat. "The Coopers certainly live up to not being boring." She meandered for the door, pausing in the arch to cast a menacing smirk, "No wonder we liked you." Sly's heart dropped into his stomach. Beads of sweat drenched his fur. Strangely enough, it was out out of fear. The sadness dimming Alauna's eye tore his insides to tatters.

Suffocating silence enveloped the hideout well after Alauna left. The first breath was released by Salim, then one at a time they started to joined his best pals, placing sympathetic hands on their shoulders, staring at the door somberly. "She's taking this lineage thing hard, huh?" He voiced what they both have been adamantly thinking.

"Wouldn't you?" Sly bobbed his shoulders. Learning your family has been trying to kill the family of someone you care about. Anyone else would take this news worse than her. The fact that she's taking this so well...or she's bottling her emotions in...worried them.

"And still you trust her!" Salim snarled. "The writing has been on the wall clear in front of you and you continue to scoff at it!" Sly's fists balled. The elder Cooper approach, cradling his hurt ribs. "Even after she was willing to kill that masked wench and Ahlii Parda without hesitating, you still believe she's trustworthy!"

"Salim, enough!" Bentley boomed, frightening him quiet. "You've made your point, but we know Alauna!" Sly remained still, obscuring the fury Bentley was venting in his place. _Why am I not speaking up?_ He rolled over to Salim, yanking him down to his level by the collar. The pure rage beaming from his glasses paralyzed him. "People like you are the reason her ancestors are the way they are! I won't let naysayers like you push her further! You got me?!"

"Yes…" Salim shuddered.

"Good!" He shoved him away, facing the window. He doesn't care what genetics say. Alauna is nothing like Pardelaytra or Ahlii Parda. Nothing!

 **xxx**

Alauna _borrowed_ a cloak draped on a clothesline. Better to intermingle with the crowd in mystery than be a _recognized_ by the locals. Come Hell or High Water, likely both, someone will recognize the leopardess wandering the streets. Naturally, in her pursuit to stay be ambiguous, she theorized Galleth Cooper would attempt a similar endeavor. Ring Tailed rodents are holding the number one spot on the most wanted list wherever and whenever they go. If Galleth is attending the festival, he's more than likely in hiding or walking amongst the crowd. Making locating him a bigger challenge. Good. Anything to keep her away from the others for a while. She was kind of enjoying the atmosphere.

All the games, the smell of foods foreign and native, and the families. It reminded Alauna of when she was a child. Even in the 1600's they had rigged net games with tiny fish. Try to scoop a fish within the first few seconds, or your paper scooped breaks. Many kids have wept for the lost fish. The variety of food was enough to remind Alauna she's skipped breakfast. And lunch, and dinner over three different time periods. The racks of lamb, and the liver chops smelt amazing. And, if she's not mistaken, the first attempt at a Belgian waffle was being crafted. And all the families and couples walking around. Laughing, have a fantastic time, living their lives to the fullest. Medieval England was truly full of a merriment present day England was severely lacking.

In the midst of her admiration, Alauna bumped into small children here and there. She'd help them back on their feet and smile tenderly as they ran for their parents. Mothers beaming with unadulterated glee of their sons and daughters, stroking their heads and holding them close. Never letting go. Fathers showing pride in their children, carrying them on their shoulders so the world can see the window of joy they brought into the world. This ache pricked her chest. Her mouth went dry. Pressure built, filling her throat, and her eyes began to prickle. Water rolled down her cheek.

"Huh?" Alauna touched her cheek and gasped. _I'm crying?!_ Tears were spilling one at a time Down her cheeks. "GRR!" She roughly ground the balls of her palms to her eyes, sniffling hard to dry them. _Stop crying, idiot!_ She cursed herself. The giddy families walking around...they make her sick! It's all a lie in the end. _Don't you dare let those pricks affect you! They don't deserve sorrow!_ Galleth! She's here for Galleth!

As impossible as it sounds, none of the guards she's precariously passed haven't uttered a word about a Ring Tailed thief, or shouted profanities about Galleth. There wasn't even a wanted poster of him. By all accounts, Galleth is the least wanted person around. She'd never believe it if she wasn't hearing or seeing it for herself. And Coopers natural lures for the begrudged and revenge driven. She can't walk a one block radius without someone littering about how they will shame the Cooper Gang back home. The last three eras haven't been any different. So why here? Is she missing something? Could Galleth have left?

"Minstrel Gath Lel is coming to the carnival!" Alauna paused mid stride near an accessory stand. Two young skunk women were in a flushed tizzy, giggling at a poster on a pole.

"I know! He's performing tonight!"

"I can't wait!" They raced off to go purchase tickets for this minstrel. Their girlish giggling was gnawing at Alauna's nerves.

Alauna isn't here for a performance, but this Gath Lel piqued her curiosity. A strange name, even as a performer. She meandered to the poster, arching a brow at the lute wielding minstrel painted on it. _Performing tonight with music heard from Europe's Farthest corners, come and listen as the great Gath Lel sings of his travels, and regales us on the wonders he's seen._ He has a good agent. He was dressed like a musketeer, complete with the feathered cap. He wore an exuberant masquerade mask, smiling charmingly as he had one foot propped to a stump. A flamboyant and grandstanding minstrel, this one is. Alauna dropped her eyes, unable to spy a tail. However, the face bothered her. Not in a bad way. Just...naggingly familiar. The grey fur, that condescending smile with an irritating ping, and those shift eyes.

"Gath Lel...Gath Lel…" That name was bothering her to no feasible end. She stroked her chin pensively. It sounded too fake for a stage name. Her bounty hunting experience has groomed her to spot pseudonyms from a mile away. _Gath...Lel...sounds like…_ She focused with all her might, growling under her breath, straining her mental gears to their limit. The letters rearranged themselves, _G-A-L-L-E-T-H_! Her brow twitched, and a twisted smile scrunched her face. "Crafty little bastard. I see where Sly gets it from." She touched a finger to her ear. "Hey, Sly! I think I've found Galleth!" And not really in the last place she'd expect to find a Cooper. Sly posed as a drummer in an African band once. Held a nice rhythm.

" _Already?! Wow! You really are good at this!"_ She rolled her eyes at his shock. She has proven to be good at this sort of hunt. " _So where is he?!"_ Alauna tore the poster down. _"Is he alright?!"_

"According to this poster, he's a minstrel that's performing tonight in the carnival."

" _A minstrel?"_ Bentley chimed in. Somehow he isn't surprised by this.

"Bentley, if he's a performer, he has to have a trailer or tent somewhere."

" _Good thinking, Alauna."_ Bentley's feverish keystrokes were almost musical themselves. She doesn't know why she likes that sound so much. She can close her eyes...and listen to his fingers for hours. " _GOT IT!"_ Alauna squeaked, jumping out of her daydream. " _What's wrong?"_

"NOTHING!" She blushed madly. "What'd you find?" She rasped.

Bentley groaned uneasily of her yell, but moved on. _"There's a lot with individual tents behind the main carnival tent. They're for employees of the carnival."_ Alauna was able to see the main tent from her position. Kind of hard to miss. The thing can be seen from space. _"If Galleth's anywhere, and he's part of the crew, he HAS to be there."_

"Already on my way." She moseyed along, ignoring the suspicious glares darting her way. Murmurs if she was mentally sound made her smirk.

 **xxx**

There was an old vantage point Bentley pointed Sly towards the last time they went to save Galleth. As luck would have it, the rope Sly fired to the main tent was still up. Someone had been hanging banners advertising the carnival. Alauna climbed to the tower near the waterfront, jumping from one weighed rope to the next, coz ng to the archer vantage point. The strummed the anchored rope, nodding approvingly of the sturdiness. She spread her arms and began a rapid tiptoe across to the main tent. Her toes accidentally unclipped the banners, prompting her into a sprint. A couple of the banners fell on someone's head and they screamed of spirits or the sky falling when Alauna was nowhere to be seen. She hid behind the spire on the tent, cackling impishly. Spirits and devilry have nothing on her.

Alauna crawled on her hands and knees, distributing her weight. The tent's top wasn't exactly built to sustain the weight of a feather, let alone someone with her physique. Her weight shall not be mentioned, it is no one's business. All they need to know is her body is more filled out than Carmelita's unnatural stick hips. The lot she was looking for was on the other side, and it sounded like the actors were all inside getting ready for their shows. She rode a slanting flap to the ground, quickly ducking behind a barrel of... _sniff sniff_...pickled eggs. "Egh…" Alauna snuck her way through the lot, using the passing wardrobes and actors as cover. Finding Galleth's dressing tent was like looking for a Cooper at a family reunion. Dozens, but the one she wants is… "Here!"

The tents all had the owner's names printed on a plaque. _Gath Lel_. She checked for anyone watching and went inside. She fastened the three clips, assuring she'd have privacy, then turned around and gasped. "This looked a lot smaller outside…" Her sparkling eyes traveled the surprisingly large tent. It was a two story unit, so to speak. Supports suspended a sturdy platform high off the ground, allowing _Gath Lel_ to have a second floor to store his things. As expected of a Cooper, he has a lot of stuff. Guard armor, weapons, tapestries, instruments, and a couple barrels of fire bulbs. Alauna doesn't want to sound prejudicial, but this stuff is likely stolen. The only time she's seen Sly buy something is when thief net is involved. Either that or being a carnival act pays nicely. "Maybe I should join the-" Cold pressure was at her back. The unmistakable razor edge of a blade touched her skin through her shirt.

"Do-not-move, Leopard!" A man snarled venomously in her ear. Alauna slowly raised her hands, cursing herself for not being aware of her surroundings. _I'm off my game!_ She left her guard too low. Effortlessly in sweeps, her captor relieved her of her weapons, tossing them far to the side. He pressed his blade harder to her back, stiffening her spine. "This must be embarrassing for you, Leopard. And to think you boast of your family's renowned senses."

 _Condescending, arrogant, taunting, and with a hint of sarcasm._ Alauna snorted under her breath. There's no doubt about it. This is the man she's searching for. "My, my. Am I right in presuming to be in the presence of Sir Galleth Cooper?" She purred to chase off her boiling self-loathing.

"Feigning ignorance is mist unbecoming!" He barked. But a yes all the same. Bentley was right. She is good at this. Then the blade at her back may very well be his cane. Or it could be the sword he supposedly carries. "I should have come to expect no less from your kind. Such dishonest and dishonorable practices are your typical characteristics!" _OYE!_ Dishonest? Yes, Alauna has lied, cheated, and stolen, she can admit to. But dishonorable is a line she won't let him cross. "Lurking about, spying from afar, and serving as your mistress' eyes and ears. Despicable!" _Mistress?_ Alauna's eyes and ears flared. _Leopard...Mistress...your kind...I see._ Alauna's eyes narrowed with a dark epiphany. By his words alone, and the hatred in his tone, Alauna deduced there's more than one leopard tormenting England. Possibly a whole group with a woman in charge. And, as she's coming to discover, Alauna was lumped as a fellow cohort of the evil leopards.

"Look, there has been a mistake! I am not-"

Alauna's protest was sticking by his cane drawing a thin trickle of blood. She hissed angrily. "The mistake was yours when you came to spy upon me!" Galleth warned. "The only reason you still live is so you may convey a message!" Alauna's face scrunched with intrigue. She silenced her walking protests, waiting ng for him to continue. _Maybe I'll learn what is going on._ "I will continue to perform at her will, obtaining from interfering in her affairs, so long as my men are not harmed! That is the oath we swore!" _His men?!_ Alauna's chest tightened. It IS similar to Sly's previous trip. Galleth's being held prisoner, and his friends are his shackles. "But know this, in spite of the safety of my men, I will not permit your foul concoction to ravage these innocent people."

 _Foul concoction, mistress, his men..._ Alauna's brain was running on overdrive trying to explain why Galleth was in with a craze. Her appearance aside, he wouldn't be behaving like this if he wasn't being threatened. Salim was the same way. She felt her own hands were beginning to be tied. Galleth is convinced she is someone else. Or that she resembles someone else. One of the people threatening him is likely another ancestor of hers. _Great_. "Sir Galleth, please! You misunderstand! I am not a servant of anyone!"

"HA! A likely story!"

"I assure you I speak true." She inched against the cane, brow furrowing sharply. She spun with each speed Galleth's grip on his cane weakened. She pried the cane clean from his grasp, tossing it aside. She then grabbed him by the collar, wrapping a leg to his and dropping him on his back, pressing her forearm to his neck. "There is not a person alive who can tell me what to do!" She stated with an eerie smirk.

"Dishonorable feline! You shall pay!" He wrestled to toss her off.

"Will you shut up and listen for a-" Galleth jabbed her in the ribs. Alauna cringed under the blow. Galleth flipped her onto her back, taking her by the sides of the head. Alauna gaped in dread, then Galleth's forehead crashing to hers sent skull splitting ringing shooting through her skull. Spots flooded her vision, her brain fell into a haze. The world was spinning on its axis. Galleth rolled onto a foot and knee, and threw Alauna head first into the support for his second floor. "I care not who holds your leash! You petty claws are nothing before The Cooper Might!"

"Geez!" Alauna pushed up on her palms, rubbing her sore nose. "And I was hoping Sly was kidding about your quick temper!" All the Coopers seem to have one.

"Villain!" Galleth tucked and rolled, taking up his cane once again. He aligned it with her heart. "How do you know of Sly?"

"He's my best friend!" She declared, stomping to her feet. Then she folded her arms with a skeptical glare. "And you can't stand there and tell me you haven't surmised from whence I came!" She swept the cloak open, presenting her futuristic clothing. There's no way he hasn't been curious of her this whole time.

"Yes…" Galleth cast a scrupulous stare up and down her form, then over to her weapons. He will admit they sparked a bit of intrigue and questions in the back of his mind. She is indeed from the same era as Sly and his friends. But one thing didn't add up for him. "And you say you are Sly's _best friend_?"

"Yes!"

At this Galleth threw his head back, howling in crazed laughter. Alauna growled animal, wanting to claw his eyes out. "LIES! Leopards do not have friends! Only close associates whom they control!" He declared with a swing of his hand. "And those who claim to be friend are merely too terrified to say otherwise!" Her palms twitched. ' _You understand, don't you Alauna?_ ' Ahlii Parda's words chortled fresh in her mind. ' _Those who you've called brother fear you as well._ '

Alauna bared her fangs murderously. "You know what? ENOUGH OF THIS!" She refuses to trade insults or blows with this hotheaded rodent. Moreover, she refuses to BE insulted. With a mighty roar, Galleth charged and thrust his cane. Alauna stood her ground. The cane came within centimeters of her chest. She wove to the side, eyes locked with Galleth as she guided the straying cane forth. She spun along the long body, latching her other hand to the hilt,and then shocking Galleth with a punch to his ribs. The blow hitched the air in his throat. His cane was ripped from his grasp once more. Alauna whipped behind Galleth, bringing the hook to his neck, stopping his rampage in its tracks. He reluctantly spread his hands, growling rapidly. _She's fast,_ he thought. "I wasted enough on Salim, I'm not wasting my breath on you! BENTLEY," She roared to her ear com. _Bentley?_ Galleth gasped. And he didn't miss her reference to Salim. _Who is this girl?_ Another menace of the future familiar with Sly, Bentley, and his ancient ancestor. "You there? Good! Talk sense into Turbo here before I break his legs!" She shoved the comlink into his ear, practically to the eardrum. "SPEAK, RACCOON!" She roared.

Galleth was in no position to refuse. Besides, he fears that if he tries to argue with her she'd tear his ears off with her fangs. He gulped nervously, then shakily responded, "He-hello?"

" _Hey, Galleth! How's it going?_ " Bentley nonchalantly greet.

"Sir Bentley?" He gasped. He dubiously glanced to Alauna from the corner of his eye, "Is this a trick?"

" _Nope, not a trick, Galleth. We're all here to help you!_ " Murray, Sly, Carmelita, Bob, and Salim simultaneously shouted _hello_ over Bentley, laughing impishly imagining the aghast expression he must be was in too sour a mood to bust a gut over his rather silly shock. _"Including my friend Alauna there. I trust you've been acquainted._ " He puckishly remarked, already privy to the tussle they exchanged.

"We've...exchanged a pleasantry or two." Galleth blushed ashamed, chuckling with an apologetic smile directed to her. She was impassive to the gesture. "I can assure you we've become quite the acquaintances!" He grinned brightly. Alauna scoffed at his act, then removed the cane from his neck. He released a held breath, deflating to a slouch. He was caught off guard when Alauna shoved his cane back into his hands. She stormed without a word to her own weapons, reholstering them. She felt naked. "I feel as though I owe you an apology." He crossed a fist to his chest, bowing remorsefully to the infuriated woman. "Please forgive me, My Lady."

"Don't bother!" Alauna snapped. Galleth was taken aback by her response, completely flabbergasted. He wished to question her dismissal, but was silenced by her ominous expression. The rancor radiating from her was toxic. "I can see in your eyes you don't trust me." The glow in her eyes, and the contemptuous manner in which she leered at him, chilled him to the bone. She resembled a demon...a demon leopard. Beads of sweat were clinging to his fur. _This girl is friends with Sly?_ She further stunned him by shrugging indifferently, "It's fine. I don't entirely trust myself right now."

Back in the safehouse, Sly, Bentley, and Murray could feel the floor caving under them. There was a weight bearing down on them the harder Alauna kicked herself about her bloodline. She's really letting her ancestry get to her. True to form, she's trying to be impassive towards this by treating it as a joke. A trait of hers. If she can turn the horrific into an absolute joke she can better handle and assess a situation. That, and she can play off that it doesn't disturb her to a certain degree. And to the untrained eye, she succeeds.

Alauna shoved her hands into her pockets, meandering casually to the still sealed tent flaps. He never disturbed the tent's entrance, and entered without making so much as a sound. A true Cooper. "Our resident Knight is safe and sound. Barely a scratch on him." Had she been trying, he'd be curled into the fetal position on the ground.

" _Glad to hear it!"_

"Bentley, while I am pleased you all are here, I am most perplexed by how you knew to come." They seem to show up at the most opportune of times. He's beginning to think they see into the future.

" _Get back to the safe house and we'll explain everything. You remember the one, right Galleth?_ "

"I do, but I cannot!" He panicked. He clamped his mouth closed, urging Alauna and the others silent. He idled for a moment, casting nervous glances left and right, listening to the bustling crowd. He relaxed that none turned a head, but remained timid. "Serious ne'er do wells are watching my every move. I cannot leave without their noticing."

" _You're being watched?_ " Bentley cried. Sly and the others knit their brow. As they've come to expect, Galleth was in danger as well. The question is, is it the past or future twisting his arm.

Alauna moved in close, leaving a hair's length between her ear and Galleth's. His cheeks lightly tinted to pink at the soft lumps touching his arm. _These are...big._ "Bentley, friends of his are being threatened. His attendance at the carnival is mandatory for their safety." Galleth believed Alauna was one of the people spying on them. He's clearly aware he's being watched, and has obviously had unwanted and unexpected visits. "And I don't know the full details, but it seems this carnival is a farce for something much larger." Galleth nodded forebodingly, hesitant to say aloud. He'd relish in telling them the full story, but knows he would never finish. There are ears everywhere. These people have to be good if Alauna hasn't made them out. Perhaps she is slipping. "Not to doubt our capabilities, Bentley, but not even we can plan for _check ins_. It's prudent that we stay here until the proper moment."

" _Agreed…"_ He groaned. Bentley was hoping this would be easy in sense they'd be able to whisk Galleth away. The fact that Alauna snuck with hardly a disturbance may be attributed to luck. He won't insult her by voicing his suspicion. If Galleth was currently being watched, surely they would have been confronted by now. Regardless if an enemy is present or not, a famous minstrel suddenly gone before his act would raise red flags, and cause a mania. Word would reach those watching and likely put his friends in further danger. " _Galleth, when are you due on stage?_ "

"Our shows do not begin for another hour." He explained. "I am due to perform after the opening fire jugglers." Galleth estimated the time he has. "They will be on stage for at least 15 minutes."

" _Then we have an hour and fifteen minutes to prepare! Alauna, we're going to need your marauder trick!_ "

"I was wondering when I'd be able to bring that costume up to breathe again." Galleth arched a curious brow, repeating Bentley's idea with the greatest bewilderment. He has a strange feeling he's not going to enjoy this. "Don't worry, Galleth, you'll get a kick out of this one." She winked.

 **xxx**

A barrel of fire bulbs mixed with Merlin's Powder, give 'em a toss in the air and shoot 'em with an arrow! An explosive array of blinding colors lit up the night sky, reflecting off the awe and wonder within the admiring masses' eyes. A handful of people ducked for cover, screaming children crying that they were in trouble. The BOOMS were so powerful that the jolts pierced the ground and shot up their legs. Even a few guards were taking up arms. After a few more pops in the air, people gradually began to relax. Explosions normally were followed by wanton destruction and death. Not this time. The explosions erupted in the air, and basked the night in voluminous colors. Amused ooh's and transfixed ahh's hummed harmoniously, drawn to the source of the explosions with a ravenous curiosity. Colorful explosions in the air and an enemy raid is not in progress? They have to know what or who caused it? _What's happening, who's doing that, can I eat the colors,_ so many curious murmurs and the grin of the culprit was only growing wider.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, CHILDREN OF ALL AGES! GATHER ROUND, GATHER ROUND!" The stage master flamboyantly drew in his mothy crowd with the flames of intrigue. The portly groundhog master tipped his hat, winking teasingly at the anxiety radiating off his crowd. He's fortunate that he was able to see the technique used to blow the castle drawbridge sky high last year. What was a use for terrorism was now his best attraction. "Welcome, everyone, to our fifth annual Autumn Carnival! I am your host, Badge Aer Hog!" He twirled a staff, thrusting it to the crowd. Geysers of fiery colors sprouted on either side of his stage, earning a round of exuberant applause. He motioned his hands for them to calm down. The fun has yet to begin. "Every year we strive to make your experience one to remember! We have food, we have games, and we have entertainment! New this year are a few new performers we've acquired! Like the Jugglers from Russia!" Quadruplet Jugglers waved from the side. "And, of course, a nation wide sensation, Minstrel Gath Lel!" Women and Young girls had hearts bubbling around them, batting their sparkling eyes, and swooning with flushed faces. The men were thrilled to hear him, but weren't too keen on the womenfolk throwing themselves at him like they always do.

As Badge drawled on with his over the top dissertation to excite the crowd, Galleth was putting on his Gath Lel disguise. His fidgeting fingers fumbled with the buttons and his mask that he's set over a hundred times. His nerves were buzzing relentlessly. The pounding in his heart wasn't steadying his hands any better. He hasn't been this nervous since he tried asking out the Captain of the Enforcers. Quite the feisty fox woman. Almost reminded him of Carmelita. Same species too. But, back on track, Galleth was a bundle of nerves. His mind racing with doubts and fears, uncertainty in the face of a task he's undertaken a thousand times in the past...when his friends lives didn't rest in the hands of a stranger. In spite of her being trusted by Sly and his companions, Galleth cannot deny that she leaves him skeptical, and down right terrified. Her being a leopard is at the source of those doubts. She's...a terrifying person.

"Gath! Make sure to go over your routine with the stagehands." The lady groundhog assistant forewarned.

"Ye-yes! Thank you!" Galleth flushed bright red. The assistant left, freeing him to release the breath he was holding. He's too tense. Aside from Alauna, the stagehands are people he doesn't recognize. The previous crew were all fired for getting drunk a few days before the carnival. They caused a huge disturbance. These were all new faces referred the Badge by someone _from the castle._ Was it Leona? Her advisers? Whomever it was, just the thought of being around them curled Galleth's whiskers. _Are they spying on me?_ He tries not to stare at them, make it obvious he suspicious, but he can't help it. Not with this plan of Bentley's so close to coming to fruition.

 **Flashback in the Tent**

 _Alauna handed Galleth a spare ear com so Bentley would be able to keep him in the loop from here on in. She then left the tent to prepare for the improvised yet heavily thought out plan,_ _Operation Marauder._ _The plan is a simple yet elegant one that will rest on Galleth being quicker on his reflexes. Not that he doubted his abilities, but a plan that brings that sort of smile to the face of someone like Alauna frightens him. Operation Marauder sounds scary. 'What will she be doing?'_

" _Listen closely, Galleth," Bentley intruded on his overanalyzing doubts, "Our enemies from the future have returned to wreak havoc on the past once more. They're wise to our presence and have more than likely anticipated our arrival to this era." Galleth's heart skipped a beat. The range in which he maneuvered for wiggle room while in these shackles seem to drastically shrink. The chains binding him to Leona tightened to the brink of making breathing painful. "They'll be on the look out for us, and are probably watching you too. So we'll have to be extra sneaky with this play."_

" _How so?" His voice shook._

" _The Marauder Plan is an improvised yet carefully laid tactic, so we'll need you to be quick on your feet." Nothing to worry about there. Galleth is as quick as he is loud. "You'll appear on stage like normal, and perform your piece. Then, somewhere in the middle, Alauna is going to cause a disturbance and cover the stage in smoke." Galleth bobbed his head, avoiding asking when to expect her since it may complicate matters. "From there you both will escape and come to the safehouse, hopefully creating the illusion you've been abducted."_

" _I see…" Galleth hummed pensively. "Verily, Gath Lel has been abused by numerous slanderous outrages by quite a number of people. Many slanders carrying threats." He caressed his chin at the intricacy of this plan. "If I appear to be the unwilling victim of an abduction, naturally the assumption will be those threats being carried out!" He pounded a fist to his palm, finding this plan to have some forethought to it. "Leona will have no choice but to react accordingly and treat this situation as such, and will abstain from exacting punishment upon my friends!"_

" _That's the plan! But this isn't going to be a long term thing!" Bentley warned right then and there. Galleth gets too far ahead and misses crucial details that land him in traps. "The second we have you in our custody, we'll have to make a plan to go for your friends."_

" _Understood…" Galleth's expression softened. "Thank you, Bentley..."_

 **Flashback End**

The list of innumerable kindnesses that Sly and his friends have extended; neither he nor his descendants shall ever be able to repay. Though he would be insulting his friends if he said he was skeptical of this oxymoronical _thought out improvised_ plan. Relying upon someone he's never met and does not share a single strand of his bloodline, but the bloodline of a mortal enemy, put him a in state of unease. He fears her natural, impulsive feline instincts will possess her to... _improvise_ a means of ridding herself of him.

"AND NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY, THE BROTHERS KEFKA!" The stagemaster bellowed, and the crowd flew into a roar, their animatedly clapping hands beckoning the jugglers on stage.

Galleth clapped hands on his cheek, cursing himself. _ENOUGH OF THAT!_ He can't think that way, now! Bentley and Sly are 100% behind this woman. By the sounds of things, she won't fail them. A commonality in the Leopard pride. Never failing their handlers. He cannot fail either. For the sake of his friends, captured and freed, he must do his part now and in the future to ensure the success of their plans, and to defeat the futuristic invaders that dare to trespass on his home.

 _Into the breach, Galleth!_ He puffed his steeled himself, clenching a fist to grasp at his wavering courage. Verily, with the Cooper Gang as his support, he will escape the chains shackling him firmly to his lengthy prison. He will save his men, and then he was see that Leona pays for the travesties she has wrought in her fiendish pursuits. "I will not allow your Hell Powder to spread, Leona! So swears Sir Galleth Cooper!"

 **xxx**

Immersed with the crowd seated in the trees, Alauna drew up the hood of her renaissance dress. Tourists always seem to overpack for things like this. It was easy enough to find. Thank goodness she didn't need a corset. She'd abandon the plan without hesitation if that happened. Now then, as for her place in the tree, there was logic to her madness. Trying to fix herself with the ground crowd would have been too obvious, and too cliche. Whoever is watching Galleth will be on the lookout for someone in the crowd closest to the stage in the event of an escape. She needed a spot with a good view of her surroundings, as well where she'll draw the least suspicion. Luckily for her, those who can't be front and center near the stage take to making spots for themselves in trees, watching the spectacle from a bird's eye view. As for the hood, it's not out of the ordinary. Plenty of people were wearing them. It's cold outside. So, for all intensive purposes of enjoying the carnival, she was another member of the animated crowd. She even bought food, and a mug of the hard cider that will be served while the ale is brewing.

Speaking of being one with the crowd, Alauna didn't allow her feigned interest in the rather impressive jugglers to deter her from finding _things_ that don't belong. Things that aren't watching the show, things that are lurking instead of moseying, things that want raccoons on a stick in place of rabbits. _Where are you?_ She murmured, licking her fangs hungrily. She knows they're close by. She can sense them. She knows the feeling. Evil eyes that are right on your back, the malicious presence looming right above you, arms strong as a serpent waiting to squeeze you until you pop. Or, in this instance, feline claws. She's vested those same feral sensations into her targets. Making ever so subtle hints of her presence, yet going to great lengths to obscure herself. And by the time her prey is aware of her presence, they are either dead or on their way back to her handler. Either way someone dies, and it will always be her enemy. _Forget your blood, forget everything...do not fail him._

Bentley is counting on her...just as he's come to do so often lately. She can't let him down now. Alauna would shout and cheer and heckle the jugglers, clank her mug with her neighbor in merriment to fit into her part, belying that her eyes cared very little for the on fire hoops and pins. The crowd had her completely in their grips. _I'll find them._ She swore. She'll protect Galleth, and show Bentley and the others there's nothing to worry about. That...she is nothing like Ahlii Parda said.

" _Alauna?! You there?!_ "

"AH! YES, YES!" She clamped her mouth closed, blushing as she noticed the people beside her staring. She thought fast, "YES! YES! TOSS THEM HIGHER, RUSSKIES! DANCE FOR US!" She raised her mug, hollering belligerently. The men on either side of her shared in her taunts, then began screaming for the jugglers to dance. She exhaled with relief. The past makes it difficult to remember talking out loud with no one in particular around is a dangerous sign. They'll either think she's insane or possessed. Both, if they're really suspicious. She brought her mug to her mouth, "What is it?!" She hissed.

" _We're ready at the safehouse when you are. How are things on your end?_ "

"Rowdy and drunk with a hint of gluttony." She sarcastically responded. Lowering her mug, she leaned to a stray branch. "There are more dogs than cats around here." She broke the finger of the guy next to her trying to touch her thigh. She then knocked him out of the tree, her eyes narrowing in tedium. "I'm starting to get bored waiting." The jugglers attempted to change up their routine with new items, and add a few flashy bits to excite the crowd. Alauna...wasn't in the mood to be wowed by cheap theatrics.

" _You won't have to wait much longer._ " Bentley reassured her. " _Galleth's act will commence in ten minutes. After that we can begin our next act."_ Alauna's expression 's friends will be the next to be freed. If this goes awry... _"Alauna, we don't have to tell you, but whoever's watching Galleth must be good if he's this shaken. He's convinced they are lying in wait. It'll be your job to discern them from the rest of the crowd._ "

She bit her lip rancorously. _You doubt me?!_ "Really! I never would have guessed I played a role here other than glorified babysitter!" Bentley, Sly, Murray, and Carmelita were taken aback by her biting tone. The ancestors, however, displayed mixed reactions. Suspicion, unease, sorrow, and anger. Alauna's leopard half was showing. "Don't tell me how to do my job, Bentley! You seem to forget I do stuff like this for a living!"

" _I...I know! I just...well…"_ Bentley's mouth ran dry. His mind went blank as a slate. He ogled his fingers, baffled by their shaking. His whole body felt tense. Why was he so tense? His heart was pounding hard. A storm was ravaging his insides, coaxing him to scream and sob at the same time. _"Never mind. Good luck._ " He choked.

Alauna's mouth parted at the choke. She wanted to say thank you, but instead said, "Like I need it." And then ended the call. She bit into her lip, drawing blood. _Dammit._

 **xxx**

Bentley sank in his chair, letting his arms fall to the sides and his head hand. He removed his glasses, rubbing his eyelids. "Bentley…" Murray moaned sadly. "Alauna doesn't sound like...like Alauna." Carmelita and the ancestors arched a brow, wondering what that meant. Sly's arms wrapping around him, bottling his welling woes, told them his words were significant.

"I know, Pal." Bentley groaned. A lonely tear trickling to his chin escaped sight. Bentley bit on his lip so his sobs wouldn't take shape. "I know..." And all because...of her blood. Something so insignificant as genes...has robbed him of his Alauna.

 **xxx**

The jugglers ended their act by filling their cheeks with a liquid. They tossed hoops, rings, and swords with such speed and precision that the audience was gripped in a nervous trance. How could they keep up, are they going to miss, what's the point of the liquid? So many questions! The jugglers threw everything into the air, they plucked lit torches from the stand and spat the liquid. Raging fire consumed the items in an inferno, the ashes fading with the embers on the wind. The crowd was in an uproar, absolutely stunned by what they witnessed. It's like something out of a story book.

"The Brother's Kefka!" The stagemaster clapped, exciting his crowd into a frenzy. The Jugglers past Galleth backstage, exchanging friendly head bobs in congratulations and a wish of luck. Truth be told, Galleth was a nervous wreck. He was sweating, his mouth was dry, he was constantly tuning his lute, and the hammering in his chest wouldn't stop. _Get a grip!_ He pounded a fist on his raging skull. He needs to remain calm or this whole plan will be for naught. Everything will be fine. Bentley...and his leopard will come through. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, for our second act!" He exhaled heavily, realizing there is no turning back. Alauna was ready when he was. "He's traveled to the Vatican of Rome, scaled the peaks of Switzerland, roused the rabble in Ireland, and even tempted mistresses in Spain." Galleth chuckled halfhearted at his exaggerated exploits. Alauna, however, grunted deadpanned, sipping her bubbling cider disgruntled. He's a Cooper through and through. The swooning, gushing women in the audience were curdling her stomach. "He strums the strings of our hearts as fluidly and tenderly as he strums the strings of his lute. His voice rings to the heavens, making the angel fawn."

"Get on with it already!" Alauna snarled under her breath.

"Please help me welcome...MINSTREL GATH LEL!" Women piled on the men and screamed at the top of their lungs, throwing handkerchiefs and undergarments as her entered on stage. Galleth enticed the crowd by waving his hands, winking and smiling at the cheering women. He spotted Alauna in the trees, waving and cheering with the other women. While it was flattering, he masked his displeasure at her feigned reverence. _She wears a mask like them._ "Sir Lel!" The stagemaster placed a hand to his shoulder.

"Yes, my good man!" Galleth bowed his head. He approached front and center stage, basking in the limelight of his admirers. He motioned his hands for them to calm down, turning side to lavish in his glory. At the same time, he scoured for those with Alauna's eyes, or those associated with them. "Ladies, and Gentlemen, thank you for having me entertain you once again on this stage!" Alauna listened to the long drawn out speech of his travels, and the different music styles he's been privileged to hear. All the while, as she caught from just beneath her, a man dressed in a heavy black cloak was shoving his way closer to the stage. Beads clipped at his waist were revealed. Alauna smirked in eager anticipation, then leapt out of the tree. "Today I will sing you a tale of the roads of Spain, and the many twists and turns that lead you on a never ending adventure into wonder and awe."

"AH BOLLOCKS, IS WHAT I SAY!" Galleth gaped in dismay, cringing at his heckler. Horrified and angered gasps erupted. The crowd parted as the man who shouted stormed to the stage. A gruff, bulldog of a man, frothing at the mouth at the raccoon. "YOU HEARD ME, YOU ADULTEROUS GIT!" Galleth's brow twitched. _Adulterous?_ "Gallivantin' about th' world, strummin' yer lecherous instrument for the whores willin' to hike their skirts for ya!" A handful of women in the crowd blushed in shame, sinking beside their husbands and fathers. "Worse still, you bring foreign filth into our land, and rot our society from the inside out!" Galleth grit his teeth. The dog took the beads at his hip and drew his hand back, "ROT IN HELL!" He let the beads loose. Connecting to stage, half a dozen clouds of smoke enveloped Galleth. Cries of terror shrieked from the audience, people scrambling to escape them and smoke trampled over one another. The smoke burned his eyes and throat, he choked on his hitched breath, falling to his knees as he rubbed roughly at his eyes. The bulldog took a deep breath and ran onto the stage, slipping a large potato sack over Galleth and throwing him over his shoulder. With that he leapt off the stage, disappearing into the night as the panic ensued.

 **xxx**

As the cries and screams for help grew more frantic, guards were occupied to capacity trying to quell the mania. They themselves were being trampled by women crying hysterically over Galleth's disappearance, demanding to find him. Others were frightened by the man who kidnapped him. The smoke he used had gotten in their eyes, adding fuel to their fiery frenzy. That being the case, with the focus on regaining public peace, no one so much as turned a head to the shadowy figure immersed in the thick bushes, leering dangerously at the panic. Thoughts circling on the bulldog who called _Gath Lel_ a traitor and then suddenly spirited him away. It is not an uncommon thing; celebrities being abducted. But this one certain raised an armada of red flags, and brought the figure to pierce their lip with a feline sharp fang.

"Damn these eccentrics…" The feline hissed with a female tone. "I must report."

"Happy day." The person turned. A brick cracked on her head, and she hit the grassy ground hard. Alauna loomed over her, dropping the brick with a pleased smirk. "You've spent countless nights hunting, Dear. Have a rest, and lets see who's ruined my night." She pulled back the attacker's hood, her eyes widening in awe.. She doesn't know why she would be, but the woman's leopardess appearance stunned her. In the darkest, most naively optimistic parts of her being, Alauna must have been hoping it wasn't a leopard. But it was, and worse still...she resembles Alauna to a Tee. Albeit, a couple years younger. 21, possibly 18. Either way, It was enough to make her puke, instead she smiled. "Guess there's no running away from it, Sly…" She moaned, tying the woman up, "My family and yours...we're destined to destroy each other."

"Lady Leona…" Another emerged from the cloak of night. The bulldog carrying Galleth stooped to one knee, presenting her with the wriggling Cooper. "The deed is done. What shall I do now?"

Alauna kept her back to him so he wouldn't see her sinister smile. _Leona..._ "You've done well, my friend." She slipped a hand into her shirt, then whipped around and threw a dart. He yelped as the needle punctured his shoulder. He reached to pull it free, but suddenly felt dizzy. His vision blurred, his body was feeling heavy. The world tilted on its axis, and he hit the ground next, consumed by the abyss claiming Alauna's other victim. "But I am afraid our deal has concluded. As for you," She grinned evilly at the unconscious feline at her feet, "You and I have much to discuss at a later time.

 **xxx**

 **(Sly POV)**

 _Our plan went off without a hitch! Galleth was returned safely and unharmed. Alauna aggressively shook the potato sack, Galleth fell out and on his head, eyes swirling dizzily with stars circling his head. Sort of...Others laugh halfheartedly at Alauna's poor bedside manner. Galleth rubbed his tender head, growling with flushed cheeks at the rough woman. Regardless, I was glad Galleth was safe. Sly shook his hand while hoisting him to his feet. Bob and Slytunkhamen served as lookouts to make sure no one followed Alauna. We needed the utmost privacy, and every second we could get. We have a lot to talk about._

 _Galleth was helped onto a chair, then gaped in awe of the waving Bob and Salim, and was transfixed by Slytunkhamen. We quickly got the introductions out of the way and moved on to what Galleth was going at the carnival and who was threatening him.  Galleth sighed heavily in shame, closing his eyes to his friends and family. Turns out, almost a year after Penelope was booted out, a new kind of evil took up residence in the castle. Sly itched his head baffled, Timelines are really confusing. The dark shadow of an evil mistress with glowing feline eyes towering over the frightened Galleth. Her name was Duchess Leona Parde. A blue colored Snow Leopardess with steel silver eyes, dressed in a scantily clad black dress that parted at her hips, and a low dipping sleeveless collar. Numerous bracelets, soft white feather curling over her bun tied black hair, a choker with a cat's eye marble attached, and a multi-fastened rope of a belt with dangling tassels decorated her figure. And, as it turns out, Galleth leered ominously at Alauna, the Duchess, as well as her three daughters, resemble Alauna to a Tee. That's why he attacked her. Guess Bentley doesn't need to insult any of our intelligence by doing a DNA check. It's obvious who her ancestors are here. Galleth admitted he jumped the gun, but he needed her to understand that he was convinced she was there to do him harm. The only difference between them and Alauna, Galleth tapped his eyes, was that they all have piercing silver eyes. England has come to know them as The Silver Sirens. Leona sitting on a throne, with her three daughters around her, basking in their forsaken glory. Those who are approached by these women are incapable of resisting them. And those taken, they never return the same._

 _The previous Lord of the land passed away, leaving no heirs or a will to pass on the crown. A minister taking the royal crown, handing it to a smiling Leona, with her daughters cackling behind her. As the only surviving member of his family, his niece Leona was inaugurated into power, Leona reveling in her new throne as the peasants foolishly cheered and frolciked, and was due to be named Queen when the carnival ended. The crown and scepter soon to be hers._

 _As the trend seems to be, her husband - the Duke of Windsor - passed away, leaving Leona alone with three girls to care for. Three ravenous girls draped in tattered clothes in the freezing winter. Leona extended them a hand, leading her daughters to warmth and shelter. Being named the next heir has solved her problems. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end to Galleth's story. Apparently the carnival was a total front. A happy carnival panel was flipped over to a nightmare fair. Galleth sighed heavily in failure._

 _During his rounds, robbing the rich and feeding the poor, Galleth was hearing rumors of people sudden going mad and attacking out of the blue. Galleth lurking underneath the carriage of a nobleman, cackling at his biggest score, then perturbed by the murmurs of passers by. Naturally these stories were ruled out as folly and laughed at. But as the weeks went on, and more and more witnesses and victims to the attacks emerged, the more serious the situation had become. One person became two, than six, and two dozen. A thick stack of complaints Galleth retrieved from enforcers, each one more horrific than the last. And nothing was being done. Galleth conducted his own investigation, sneaking into the homes of victims and witnesses, surreptitiously asking for information, coming to learn that the source of everyone's craze was due to a new spice a merchant was selling. Galleth stroked his chin, then tracked the merchant down...in prison._

 _The merchant behind bars animatedly explained to Galleth. The merchant claimed to have ground this spice himself from a rare sort of mushroom he found deep in the mountains. He and his friends picked the place clean, harvesting the roots and everything to mass produce their own.  The merchant was quite proud of the garden he established at his home in the countryside. Then the guards became suspicious of him. He told officials he and his tested the mushroom and its content and all was well, and began their spice grounding process. However, as many would come to discover, the spice had a devastating side effect._

 _Over a course of time, the people were becoming hostile and increasingly more agitated. Bad vibes radiating off a handful of people, dark galres shared, harsh words followed by punches exchanged. Fights have broken out, but nothing major. But when the days turned into a week, and a week into a month, People frothing at the mouth, roaring like ravenous animals, going on a rampage throughout town, the incidents ended in deaths, and eventually the trail led back to the spice merchant. The shackles were slapped on, and the guards began ripping his farm to shreds. Supposedly authorities confiscated his entire stock, sentenced him to life in prison, and slowly things returned to normal. The man swears he didn't know of the aggressive property, that neither he nor his friends experienced the side effect. Galleth studied the merchant, and found his words true. Doesn't show the same aftereffects of the other victims. Agitation, fidgety, and revealing veins at the eyes._

 _Evidence of where the mushroom was found was used against him. The mountains in which the mushrooms were discovered. Galleth quickly explains the origins of these mushrooms, Cooper Gang is stunned. Smugglers were found to have planted seeds of the illegal spice plant from india there. The merchant and his friends were named as opportunists to cause mayhem and terror and were incarcerated. Murray shivering at the memories, Sly and others try to comfort him. They maintain their innocence. However, in spite of their arrest, the spice has found its way back on the street. But incidents are so minor and spaced apart, they are listed as unrelated._

 _Galleth wagged a finger. All a facade like the mask he wears. The merchant's testimony bothered Galleth, so he went to the survivors of the spice again, asking if they remember what happened.  Head shakes, followed by epiphanies, They all said the same thing, "I was eating dinner and then I woke up to a mess." Murray can confirm. Till this day, what happened to him in the Contessa's prison is fuzzy. Galleth was in the process of unearthing the mystery, when Leona caught wind of his plan and demanded her stop._

 _Masses of papers scattered about Galleth's hideout, the pieces finally lining up. His door is kicked open. Leona entered, wearing a devilish smile. When confronted, Galleth demanded to know why she was using the spice.  Galleth drew his sword and cane, howling at the top of his lungs at her. Leona laughed at him, She said, "I'll punish the land that punished me." To show them "That there are monsters in us all." Galleth taken aback by the glossiness moistening her eyes. Leona turned on her heels to leave. Galleth refused to let her get away with this. He attacked her, and had her on the ropes. Leona was caught off guard. Galleth slashed his cane and sword for her violently, throwing her off balance. She hit the floor on her butt, eyes wide as the cane and sword came down. Three swords intercept him. Galleth fell into dismay, giving in to terror as three silver eyed felines defended their mother. Then her daughters arrived and beat him back. All three women jumped him, restraining him to the ground. Leona dusted herself off, relishing in his defeat._

 _It would have been easy for the Duchess to arrest him, but she decided that she wanted to have fun with Galleth and released him. Leona waved a hand and her daughters freed Galleth, then they left. Galleth knew that wasn't the end. The next thing he knew, his friends were abducted and were slated for death, on the condition Galleth do as she says. Leona approached him with a flier advertising their sentence, cornering him. He was baffled by why until he saw his Gath Lel disguise thrown at his feet. Incidentally, Galleth had already taken on the persona of Gath Lel to get close to corrupt nobles, and had become famous. Galleth hissed through gritted teeth, dropping his shoulders in surrender. Leona had him pose as Gath Lel, the traveling minstrel, and he would be a tool in helping distribute her spice. And everyday since then, Galleth has been her puppet. Strings were attached the singing Galleth while Leona cackled at her spice being shared to the masses._

 _Sly, Bentley, Murray, Carmelita, Alauna, and The Ancestors furrowed their brows heatedly, steeling themselves as their objective was laid out in perfect line. Our mission was clear. We have to save Galleth's friends, and then get this spice off the market and out of circulation. Without damaging the timeline more than we have.  Sly exhaled exhausted. What a month._

 **To be continued**


	26. The Games We Predator's Play

**The Games**

 **We**

 **Predator's Play**

 **Moving on**

 **xxx**

Hands smoothed like precious porcelain plucked a mint condition book from the castle library shelf. The ironically callused fingers brushed several pages open, freeing the attached ribbon bookmark from the crease. Under candlelight, mesmerizing silver eyes glided across the page. Passages of the fictional literature taking the reader to a land parallel to her own. She seated herself to a plush chair, folding a leg on top of the other. She set the candle to the table beside her, a malicious smile stretching her darkly crimson colored lips. The elegantly drawn image of a man being sentenced to hanging tickled at her contemptuous hunger for anguish. The man in the picture taking on the form of Sir Galleth, and all those she deemed enemy to the crown soon to sit upon her head.

Her eyelids partially closed. The silver orbs never diverting as the shadows shifted behind her. "Are you going to report? Or merely watch your mother, Rosalia." The passing full moon cast its light over the grey furred woman kneeling behind her _mother_ \- Leona Parde. Rosalia certainly lived up to the color represented in her name. She from the daunting mask to her boots, she wore offsetting shades of red. The armor clad boots, halt sewn tunic and the hood attached were lighter shades of red. The tights, the parted sleeves, belt shaping the tunic to figure shape, and the turtle like neck were darker crimson. The mask worn was black and only covered half her face. The rings on her middle finger helped hold her sleeve in place. Besdie her was a bow and a quiver of arrows.

"Pardon the theatrics, Mother. But I bring disturbing news." Leona's attention was still to the book before her. Her feline ears flexed backwards. "As you know, Lilica was dispatched to the carnival on patrol. _Gath Lel_ performed as scheduled." Leona mustered dignity to not scoff at the indignant pseudonym. He levity would be short lived. "Just as his performance was seconds from commencing, one of our Knights - The Captain - created a disturbance. He vocally disparaged our minstrel mongrel, and proceeded to attack him!"

For the first time, Leona's eyes parted disturbed from the pages. Her brow wrinkled. Rosalia waited for her mother's response. "I am certain that is not all you have to report." She replied in a grim tone.

"N-No, Mother! The Captain covered the stage with smoke, abducting Galleth. According to Lilica, The Captain was heading the the direction of the castle."

"He is not here, so I assume that isn't the case."

"Lilica gave chase after reporting to me to ensure he would bring Galleth to us." Rosalia paused, groaning disconcerted under her breath. "Neither she nor our captain have returned." Leona's book finally touched her lap. In the glow of the candle's orange hue, the anger contorting her seemingly flawless features evolved her into a Hellish Deity. Her claw dug grooves into the chair. "Mother, I am certain Sir Galleth Cooper is the culprit behind this and that our _esteemed Captain_ has betrayed us for that rodent!" She raised a devout fist, inching closer to her mother. "Mother, I implore you! Cooper has gone against the bargain you have struck! I insist his cohorts pay for his obstinance, and their heads be stuck to pike to decorate the castle walls as a sign of his folly!"

Leona inhaled grudgingly through her nose, then gradually released the seething fumes from her mouth. The candle seemed to gain a little oomph from the fire in her. "Be mindful of your bloodlust, my foolishly temperamental daughter. As the second eldest, I expect a standardized example of decorum from you!" Leona pushed to her feet, standing tall in her slender black dress. She faced her daughter, removing her disdain for this turn of events to placid indifference. "Need I remind you that my recently enlisted partner has plans for our Galleth. The death of his friends could severely alter those plans." Whatever they may be.

Rosalia growled ferally, rising to match her mother's height. "I do not trust that parrot! Or the rodent in which accompanies him!" She decreed.

"Nor do I, and I can say without doubts that he will betray us once he has what he wants." She meandered to the large pane window, gazing out to the canals, enveloped in the luminescent sheen lapping on the surface. "Precisely why I am willing to wait for their misstep."

"Misstep?"

"Yes…" She chuckled darkly. Small fish swam aimlessly about the canal, blissfully unaware of the larger fish stalking it from within the murky depths. "Prey became woefully prideful whilst their predator is distracted by the more feeble of quarry. They dance and flitter about, cajoling their kind with promises that the danger is too busy for them." The large fish encroached on the smaller fish. Its massive mouth parting open. "And just when the prey thinks that its safe," The large fish darted, swallowing the smaller fish whole with a snap of its jaws, "That is when they are taken into the belly of the beast in but a moment!" She licked her lips hungrily. "Our new friends will slip into our grim jaws. And when they do, we shall feast upon their bones. But until that time comes," She addressed her daughter, prompting her to stand at attention, "Take Tulia and scout for your sister and the captain. Quietly." She stressed. "I do not need a public outcry. Not with my coronation so close at hand."

"As you will, Mother!" Rosalia faded into the darkness.

The candle was snuffed as Leona was left alone in the library to ponder her whirring thoughts. "Sir Galleth…" She snickered, "It would seem I am not the only one receiving help from our future counterparts.

 **xxx**

Salim was beginning to recover from his ordeal with the Cooper Devouring Millipede. As he's come to fear, his Cobra Climb technique was siphoned from his mind. Tried as he might - pole, rope, or chain - Salim's technique abandoned him. He must have done it a hundred times in the past. For the life of him at this very moment, he can't even recall how to usher the Cooper focus to conjure it. The blow to his Cooper pride was suffocating. He began to ponder if this is how Slytunkhamen felt when his technique was stolen from his skull. Speaking of Slytunkhamen, the stab wound he sustained was indeed a clean cut. Already, signs of it being on the mend were evident. Still, he wasn't doing any sort of field work anytime soon.

"Hmm…" Murray muttered to himself. He sloshed the cherry of his pie through the whipped cream,

"What's wrong, Murray?" Carmelita placed a hand at his back.

"This mushroom...sounds like the spice plant we found in India." Bentley and Sly remember the plant. In order to disrupt Rajan's communication hacking satellite array, Sly had to climb to the tops of the highest trees in order to gather enough of the dangerous plant to put inside the elephant's feeder bag. "The same type of spice as the one that made me go nuts." Another troubling memory that rotted their insides. Murray was forced to eat food covered in spice served in the Prague Prison he and Sly were incarcerated in. Through the use of hypno boxes provided by the Contessa, Sly and Bentley were able to _break_ him out of solitary confinement. All the while trying not to be trampled to death by a rampaging hippo.

"Because they are of sister roots." Alauna stated.

"What do you mean Alauna?" Bentley stroked his chin.

"After your incident with the Klaww Gang, I became increasingly interested in the spice plant and researched it." She had to admit it was a juicy product of Indian Flora. Sending the most sound of mine into uncontrollable fits of rage. Who wouldn't want to venture further? "I discovered that this plant first emerged roughly 20 years before Galleth was born in remote parts of India, and was slated for removal. A mass extinction would be a more proper description." What else does one call the order for one particular species other than a genocide. "In spite of them growing high in trees, the plants would fall and cause wildlife, or those living off the land, to go insane. Certain cases, the roots of the plant would reinsert themselves."

"/Hey! That sounds familiar!/" Bob gargled. The floor was his, and looks of shock were on him. "/Yeah! There's this HUGE mammoth leaf plant that makes you sleepy if you eat it!/" Bob tore a tuft of hair from his side, using the follicles as proof, "/Spot and I would take the roots and plant them near our food storage! New plants would grow. Any animals eat them, they fall asleep and we get to eat them!/"

"The same process was used here." Alauna asked Bentley for his tablet, bringing up an image of the India indigenous plant. Bentley projected her findings to the wall near where Slytunkhamen and Salim were resting. Needless to say, the ancestors were in awe of the technology. Bob couldn't resist running his hand in and out of screen. Galleth called it sorcery and drew his sword, which was effectively stolen by Sly. "As with any illegal substance, people smuggled the roots or what remained of the plants out of the country and deciphered a new means of producing it." Screen shots revealed minerals from the leaves, the seeds within the plant, and the roots. "As a result, this plant took new forms to adapt to its new environment." Wine countries, mountainous regions, desert areas, and canopies were displayed. "On vines, it was shaped like a grape. In trees, a few were nuts. In the ground…" She passed on the conversation to one of her eager volunteers.

"They became mushrooms!" Murray blurted. Aluna rewarded him with a sticker.

"Galleth, you've heard of these spice plants, right?" Bentley quizzed.

"Of course, but none of us worried here in England. They were said to only grow in the high trees in India." Galleth shrugged his hands. "I don't understand how this plant made it here."

"Because, between 1254 nad 1324, Marco Polo and his father Nico Polo sailed west to Sri Lanka and India. Suffice it to say, he indulged in cuisines and traditions of the lands he visited, and was known to bring home momentoes of his travels." She tapped on the spice plant. "This included spices of all kinds, which was a high valued item of commerce. Incidentally, our illegal plant here was likely involved in that commerce before ." Alauna's educating lecture left the Ancestors, Carmelita, and Murray in utter bewilderment, eyes batting as they wondered how she knew all this.

"She's a linguist and history major." Bentley reminded everyone.

"This sort of thing is her area of expertise." Sly boasted for her.

Alauna shrugged with indifference, but her reddening cheeks spoke loudly for her pride. "Now, while our adventurer may have been thwarted in taking the plant, smugglers knew full well that people talk, and word spreads faster than a plague." Galleth knows that one. Precisely why he is shocked guards aren't banging on the door. "New country or not, it would have been risky to put this plant in a tree and see if it grows. Someone would have recognized it. So they put it elsewhere and the results are this." The infamous mushroom. "And 20 some odd years later, a man looking for something new came across this weird mushroom."

"What forestalled this discovery for 20 years?" Salim quizzed.

"Earthquakes, mudslides, boundaries - there are various factors. But that's besides the point." Alauna diverted back to the topic. "By the sounds of it, this spice causes the same sort of manic hysteria as what you encountered." She glanced to Murray, Sly, and Bentley. The trio curled into themselves. Neither of them have yet to heal from that ordeal. Especially Murray. Alauna noted their discomfort, choosing to tread carefully. "But, depending on the form it takes, I thought only hypnotic waves cause an aggressive reaction."

"That's true." Bentley inserted himself. He took over the projector, adding images of the elephant thy encountered in India. "In its normal form, if one ate too many spice plants they'd fly into a rage." He played a little video of Sly's spiking the elephant feed bag. Entertaining even after 512 times. "But when the Klaww Gang harvested them, they turned the plant into an edible spice and distributed it across France. They learned that a particular light frequency would react to the spice in their system and send them into a frenzy." Hence the hypno boxes, and the absorption of the aurora borealis.

"I can testify to that." Murray moaned, rubbing his tender head. "My head still hurts."

"But that can't be how these people flew into rages." Sly contested. "They don't have hypno boxes, and the Northern lights doesn't appear in England. So what caused their craze?"

"How the spice was mixed." Carmelita answered with a snap of her fingers.

"Huh?"

"The witnesses all said, _I was eating dinner._ This spice was meant to complement food." Bob choked on the apple he just put in his mouth. He gagged, sticking the in tact apple out on his tongue. He picked it up by the stem, dropping it out the window. "Depending on how you use a substance, all sort of properties and reactions can emerge." Attention was firmly imbedded to Carmelita. Alauna's never heard her sound so logical. "For example: carbonated drinks can become poisonous when at a certain temperature. Or frozen shrimp dunked inside a vat of boiling oil will cause an explosion. An illegal spice mushroom mixed with a particular food or other spice would likely tap into the plant's aggressive potency." Multisyllabic words AND sound logic backed by proven occurrences. She's on a roll. "And we happen to be in the middle of a carnival hosting all sorts of exotic foods and spices."

"/The spice is mixed in with the food!/" Bob threw in his moment of genius, earning a pat on the head by Slytunkhamen.

"Those fiends!" Galleth crushed fingers into fists. He seethed through gritted teeth, wishing to drive his sword through Leona's gut. "The Duchess has poisoned the entire town! WE MUST SALLY FORTH AND DEAL A TERMINATING BLOW!" He spun on his heels, charging with his sword in hand. Blood was in his eyes.

"Calm down, Galleth!" Bentley darted in his path. Murray and Sly grabbed his tail as an extra measure. "Yes everyone's eating the spice, but the time for the effects to come on is weeks!" The hibernation period of the spice is only lengthened by constant consumption. "And unless everyone here has been eating this spice for that long, Leona's plan won't work! This carnival is due to end in a couple days!"

"Which, by the way," Alauna tossed in matter of factly, "Is going to be the beginning of her new reign."

"We saw people around town. None of them are remotely showing symptoms." Slytunkhamen stated.

Alauna cupped her hand to a fist, groaning pensively. "Then that means she must have a way of intensifying the effects to make them more potent. How, is the mystery." The food is the but the lock trapping the massacre, and his slowly being worn down. What would be the key to unlocking the spice's true effects?

Even the ancestors began to ponder what the spice's partner ingredient could be. The exception of Bob, who was give it a good college try, The ancestors racked their brains and compared specific cooking habits or drinks that may or may not cause adverse affects in general. Slytunkhamen has witness those who cannot sleep on their own take an herb and consume the Pharoah's wine to increase the effects. Salim once saw someone eat scorpion with crab and, well, the room he occupied smelt worse than The Lion's socks mixed with the garbage. And was thrice as messy. Galleth's heard of someone taking a variety of drink and pouring them together. The result ended with his system being eaten alive, as if a devil possessed him, and his innards were...outtards. Bentley mulled over a test he made up on the fly with samples of the spice plant he saved. Nothing was coming up. Sly, Carmelita, and Alauna muddled with why Leona would poison the town days before her coronation. All of it was pure conjecture. Hypothesis with no proof. THE PROOF has to come with a willing victim, and none of them were willing to put themselves or innocent people at risk.

Everyone was putting their heads together. Except for Murray. Something's been bothering him, and it isn't the spice. Leona's words struck him in the heart. ' _I'll punish the land that punished me. She them the monsters that are inside us all!_ ' They wrenched at him like nothing he's ever felt. "What do you think she meant by, _show the monsters that are inside?_ " He asked the others. "I don't get it."

"Come on, Murray. It's obvious." Alauna grinned menacingly. "Even in present day, people are pretty nervous around leopards." She chuckled darkly, licking her fingers with a feral leer. "We're such fickle and unpredictable people, you know." She winked.

"Alauna…" He moaned dismally. He doesn't think she was entirely joking.

"Speaking of Lady Alauna…" Galleth rubbed his tender head, "Do you suppose you could have been slightly more gentle?"

"I could have, but I needed to pay you back for the damage rendered to my face." She tapped on the swollen spot at her nose.

Galleth blushed shamefully, coughing into his hand. "And...what of that man?" His voice cracked.

"What man? Oh yeah!" Her _willing_ volunteer. She pressed hands to his head, frog leaping past him. "Thanks for reminding me!" Alauna leapt out the window, flipping over the railing to the tree hideout's exposed roots. Sly and the others raced after her to see what she was up to. For some reason, including the ancestors, everyone had a bad feeling about this. Alauna knocked on a compartment Bentley built into the tree on his last visit. A massive potato sack came plummeting out. A pained grunt skipped the hearts around. Alauna ripped the sack off, revealing the bulldog that abducted Galleth. Ankles, arms, and hands bound with an excessive gag strapped to his mouth. "Sorry 'bout that lad! Forgot all about you!"

"ALAUNA!" Sly, Murray, Bentley, and Carmelita scolded.

"What?! He was on to me!" The Ancestors took subtle steps back, hands where Alauna could see them. The girl was insane...and scary. Alauna cut the man's gag off, darting aside as saliva flew with his gasping breath. "So sorry, old chap! I didn't mean to treat you so aggressively. How's yer head?"

"YOU FAKE! YOU AREN'T LADY LEONA! HOW DARE YOU!" He frothed at the mouth. Galleth and Sly exchanged stunned glances, mouthing _Leona_. Murray and Bentley should have seen this coming. Her impersonating officials was a favorite past time of her.

"Yes, yes, I am a very bad kitty." She spank herself later. She knelt to him, angling her shoto to the thin veins at his neck. "And possibly the very last person who will know what your breath smells like!" Her pupils narrowed to slits at her decree.

"Allie! What are you doing?!" Murray grasped at his head. The ancestors and Carmelita were rooted. She was going to kill him!

"Kill me, wench! Get it over with!" The dog dared her.

"Oh no! That would be too easy1" She giggled childishly. The dog was confused. She patronized him with a scratch between the ears. "See, I'm in the market for a good snitch. And clearly you are one of Leona's right hand cronies since you're SO EAGER to serve." The dog growled in revulsion. He knew where this was going. "I want to know everything Leona is doing. Where she goes, who she sees, what they talk of, everything. And expect I expect that you will tell me." She tapped his nose.

The dog scoffed at her request. Throwing his head back, he howled in mocking laughter. What a thing to ask of someone of Leona's court. "I am Captain of Her Future Majesty's guard! A knight of the highest order! Why would I do anything for you?"

Alauna shrugged nonchalantly. He has a point. He doesn't have to do a thing for her. Unless, of course, he had something to lose. "There was a sneak near our little drama. And she smelt of…" Tanya inhaled his odor, "Lilac oil." Her croon turned his blood to ice. She need not go into further detail."What would happen if Leona learns you smell just like her?" Salim, Bob, and Murray were slightly baffled. The others, however, could smell the blackmail.

"I AM A KNIGHT OF HER COURT! It could have come from anywhere!" The Captain's voice squeaked. He was dripping in nervous sweat.

"Anointed, clearly. AND," She put a finger to his protesting lips and leaned in unnervingly close, "Normal lilacs do not smell as potent unless turned into a scented product." The Captain was trembling. Were it he was able to reach her neck, he' snap it. "Tell me. Was the anointing before or after you were welcomed into _her_ bed?"

" _Her?_ Who is _her?_ " Salim whispered to Carmelita.

"No idea. But clearly those to do."

"Someone the Captain doesn't want Leona to know about." Bentley added.

"On second thought, stay here with my friends!" She pat his cheek, stepping over him. "Her GRACE will want to hear this."

The Captain went blue. He flung himself forward, dropping to his forehead and knees. "MERCY! MERCY, MY LADY! I'M BEGGING!"

"Save it for Leona! She most likely loves a good groveling!"

"IT WAS HER BIDDING! ALL HERS! I COULDN'T REFUSE!" The captain testified. "I'll go far away! Never to be heard from again! I swear!"

Alauna grinned victoriously. "Oh, I don't think we need to go that far." She flourished her sword, cleanly cutting his bonds. "My offer for a snitch still stands."

"Why?" He rubbed the sore rope burns, slowly climbing to his feet.

"Because of the fact you haven't once been shocked by us, I am certain others claiming to be from the future have surrounded themselves around Leona."

"They have! But I don't know who they are!" The Captain panicked.

"Do you know why all the food is being covered in spice?!" Galleth asked next.

"No...everyone outside of Leona's council is left in the dark." He rumbled. A close knit group. He returned his fearful gaze to the pondering Alauna. "You have my word. I'll return to the palace with not a single thought to reveal what we spoke of!"

"Very good. Because if a single word of this is breathed," Alauna steered him by the collar, slamming him against the tree with her sword tip at his neck, "I'll steal your final breath. Got it?" She rumbled in an ominous tone.

"Ye..yes ma'am!" His knees knocked together.

"Good boy." She released him and sent him on his way with his tail between his legs. Alauna sheathed her sword, stretching out exhausted. It's hard keeping people in line.

"What did you mean by that?" Sly asked nervously

"Simple. I'll kill him." She admitted with a huge smile. The Cooper Gang paled with begrudged glares. "Don't look at me like that. In my profession, people who can talk are dangerous." She approached Sly with her hands on her hips, refusing to cave under him. "I don't like tools that speak, Sly. You know that." Murray and Bentley groaned perturbed. Sly's brow furrowed. "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? You three have known this about me for years. This shouldn't be surprising in the least."

"You just...sound so scary when you say it." Bentley went hoarse.

"I'm a scary person, Bentley. Haven't you realized that yet?" Although, regardless of how scary she can be, scarier people exist and that man will flap his lips. And when he does, she will relish in the results. There's one result she is anticipating which will define who Leona truly is.

"In bed with _her_ …" Carmelita muddled. "How did you come to that determination?"

"I'm REALLY good at my job. And asking anymore questions will become unhealthy." Carmelita bit her tongue under protest. Alauna clapped her hands. "This is now officially water under the bridge! Galleth's friends are being held captive, and his leash isn't loosened! We need to free them if we're going to move freely!"

"Agreed!" Bentley barked. "Galleth, do you know where your friends are being kept?"

"The dungeons. They lie just below the palace canal."

"I remember seeing irrigation tunnels barred by grates." Murray announced. "That might be our key inside the dungeons."

"Murray, if I gave you your diving gear, would you be able to lead a rescue?"

"Most definitely!" What a question to ask THE MURRAY!

"Then Carmelita and Alauna, you're on rescue!" After the previous display, Carmelita isn't sure she wants to be in an enclosed space with Alauna. "Get those men out, and take bring them to the harbor. I'll make arrangements for safe travel!" The two nodded firmly.

"No! I cannot ask you to do this!" Galleth protested.

"Then don't. We're going to do it anyway." Sly grinned impishly.

Galleth's heart warmed. Looking around the room, he saw the faces of those that would risk everything for him and his friends. How did he come to be so lucky. "Thank you so much."

"Don't thank us yet." Carmelita warned. "We still have to save your friends. And I don't mind telling you our present day enemies are anticipating our every arrival and move."

"Villains from your era are here?" He gasped.

"They are. The second your friends are free, our arrival will be made glaringly apparent." She grinned at him deviously. "I hope you're ready for the backlash." Galleth was born ready.

"We just need a plan." Bentley tapped his chin.

"Something complex and difficult with multisyllabic words?" Alauna leaned to his chair with a menacing grin.

"Nope! Simple, elegant, and improvised with a scosche destruction." He kissed his fingers like a Chef who just finished his greatest masterpiece.

Alauna kissed his cheek, smashing him in a hug to her chest. "I-love-you!" She loves these sort of plans. Tonight was going to be fun.

 **xxx**

Leona poured wine until it nearly spilled over the brim. The night was dragging painfully slow. She's emptied two goblets of wine so far, and has yet to begin feeling the effects. Perhaps the winemaker is losing his touch. By now she will have forgotten this string of annoyances and been on her way to making her days glorious. Right now, an all new set of knots were digging into her shoulders and back. Her lacking buzz may be better improved if she were to soak in the spring within the palace. That usually loosens her up.

"Mother." Rosalia's monotonous tone bred new tense muscles. She gave her daughter her full attention, pretending to at least be eager in the bad news printed on her face. "It wounds me to report that neither Lilica nor The Captain have been found." Leona wordlessly sipped her wine, demanding her daughter report with good news, or to move on. "There are, however, witness reports of a mysterious figure seen carrying what looked to be large sacks in unknown directions." She referred to the knots on her piece of parchment. "The figure was cloaked, but feminine features were evident. She was seen making two trips for the sacks, which is why the directions are made unknown."

"I see…" Leona hummed. This _woman_ , possibly a small man, solicited the aid of the Captain, and most likely proceeded to abduct him. Realizing she was watching, the assailant found and absconded with Lilica. Unable to remove both at once, they assailant was forced to make multiple trips, but was clever enough to hide them in separate locations. "An abduction. How bold of Sir Galleth Cooper." She laughed.

"What is our next move?" Rosalia eagerly awaited.

"We wait and see what develops." Rosalia didn't understand. Why should they wait? They should tear the town apart and find that Captain and Lilica? "Prey often entice the predator with falsehoods of a better meal. The Captain and Lilica are obviously the bait we are meant to take. But we will wait for Galleth and his cohorts to make their move first." She threw the glass. Wine and shards shimmering in the moonlight, the red wine splashing to her cheeks. What resembled tears of blood ran down her cheeks to her bloodthirsty smile. "Then we shall stain the rivers with their blood."

 **xxx**

(Chalk Talk)

" _Alright, you guys, I've said it dozens of times before, and I'll say it again..._ " Bentley warned as the tablet warmed up. " _We-are-gonna-need-to-work-fast!_ " He cannot stress it enough. " _We already know Leona Parde must be working with someone from the future, and that she is expecting a rescue. So this will require stealth beyond our normal parameters!_ " He pinched the CT logo and spread it open to an old photo of the castle's canals. " _As we all know, Sir Galleth's friends are being held prisoner somewhere in the dungeons beneath the canals!_ " He traded the photo for a full 2D schematic of the castle's interior. " _Courtesy of a few local bandits wanting to stick it to the duchess, I have been assured that the westernmost wall leads to the dungeon's entrance here._ " He traced a yellow line from point A to point B, circling where the let in for the dungeons was located. He drew in Murray, Alauna, and Carmelita. " _Murray, you're going to have to pry the grates off, and then Alauna and Carmelita will swim in to secure the entrance._ "

" _Sorry to interrupt!_ " Carmelita so elegantly stepped in. " _These canals are filled with water. How do you expect us to get there?_ " She threw in her own photo of her and Alauna turning blue from drowning. " _Hold our breath the whole way?_ "

" _Glad you brought that up, Carmelita! I have new equipment for you and Alauna!_ " The pictures switched to very sleek, flattering, and form fitting dive suits fitted to Carmelita and Alauna's animal attributes. " _I 'borrowed' Dimitri's old scuba diving suit and had these made especially for the two of you. Complete with O2 rebreathers. No need for a tank._ " Bentley shopped Carmelita and Alauna in to give them a preview of the look. " _They should fit like a glove._ "

" _OOH! So couture!_ " Alauna gushed. Green was very flattering to her fur tone. The exposed belly will help her move better too. Carmelita felt a little bashful in such a...revealing swimwear. Ironic given she's wearing a too short skirt and a very low tube top.

" _Best..._ " Sly drooled.

" _Plan..._ " Galleth croaked.

" _EVER!_ " Both fell over with hearts in their eyes. Drooling over Carmelita and Alauna in those suits. The two were flattered nonetheless.

" _Back on task, guys!_ " Bentley scolded. Although, he was drooling over Alauna. " _Once you three get inside, you'll have to find the thieves and take them out the south exit!_ " He circled the nearly mile away exit. " _It's the only way with the least guards, and I doubt the thieves will be able to swim if their condition is bad._ " Galleth moaned mournfully for his friends. To have left them to such a fate. " _Don't worry, Galleth. They'll be fine. Because you and Sly are going to shuttle them into the van so I can take them to safety._ "

" _SOUND!_ " Galleth cheered graciously. " _But the south entrance was demolished!_ " He cried horrified. The picture changed to a sudden cliff drop into the ocean. Spiky rocks applied at the bottom. " _The cliff side was eaten away by the ocean and workers took it apart! There's no way to rescue them._ "

" _Don't worry, Galleth._ " Sly's comforted him. " _We just need to be waiting. Bentley will do the rest._ "

" _As you will._ "

" _Alright! The plan isn't elegant, but like I said earlier we do not have time for elegance._ " Bentley drew the line. " _You three grab the thieves, you two be ready for pick up, and then we all hightail it before anyone is the wiser._ "

" _Given our current rate, they are already wise._ " Salim so pessimistically added.

" _Way to raise morale, my descendant._ " Slytunkhamen scolded.

" _Stay in constant communications, guys!_ " Bentley warned. " _We need to be ready on the fly for when things go belly up._ " And they always go belly up.

(Chalk Talk End)

 **xxx**

Security around the castle and in town was increased. After Galleth's _abduction_ Leona ordered that her guards remain on high alert. They were to find Sir Galleth, and his would be abductors, and then deal with them swiftly and without mercy. Galleth was to be brought back alive. The others may be dealt with as the guards saw fit. Mecha wolf presence was thickest at the castle's perimeter. When two marched in the opposite direction, two more were covering for the blind spots. Not even rat holes were spared their guard. The Archer Owls took up key sniping positions around the castle walls, scanning the town just yards out, and watching the canals for those slimy bandits. If a fly even considers landing on the feathers in their caps they'll shoot it. The hedgehogs patrolled the town, keeping their eyes peeled for anyone suspicious. Considering the type of brutes they are, they made a big deal out of children buying candies bigger than their faces.

The canal's surface rippled with bubbles. Murray, Carmelita, and Alauna broke the surface, scanning the walls as the sniping owls seemed to glide their sights right past them. For now. Murray motioned with a hand for them to follow and they dove back under. The canal was deeper than it looked. Bentley would hazard a 50 foot guess. The fish swimming by raised their heart rates. Barracuda, piranha, snapping turtles, and...EELS! It's like Leona went to the four corners of the world and brought back one of each predator for an aquarium and security. Thankfully, Murray never leaves anywhere without snacks to keep his strength up. Pie, apples, a rare steak, and...canapes?...were left in a trail, drawing the hungry fish like - well - fish to water. Someone will be punched later for that hideous pun.

Carmelita and Alauna's rebreathers were working like a dream. The key was to breathe like normal, which was a task the deeper they went. Murray knocked on the intended grate. It budged nicely, worn from being degraded by the minerals in the water. He rubbed his palms together, able to pry it loose with a gentle TUG! The grate came off in a whole, taking small chunks of the wall with it. Murray let it sink to the bottom. Unless they have a diving team, no one was going to miss it.

" _Good work so far guys._ " Bentley commended. " _From there on it should be a straight shot in."_ The trio tapped their comes twice in confirmation. He didn't build a speaker function into their masks. He'd think he'd get on that after Dimitri's OP in Blood Bath Bay.

Murray shuttled the two ladies in first, watching their backs for those murderous fish. The three were steadily becoming claustrophobic in the narrow tunnel. It was getting darker further in too. They had to rely on what little light was there. Using flashlights may alert whatever guards are at the dungeons that they're coming. The swim didn't last too long. Thank goodness. Murray was starting to panic. Carmelita halted the troupe, pointing above them. The tunnel cut away into an opening. The distinctive glow of torches were barely able to be made out from the murky water. Startling them were the unmistakeable flashes of lanterns from those deadshot mech wolves. Oh well. If it was too easy, jobs would be boring. Alauna and Murray volunteered for this part. Carmelita was on standby, anxious to see the carnage.

Two mech wolves marched in unison, stopping right at the wall and then marching back to alternating sides. The torches and their lanterns made the calmly lapping pool soothing to watch. Effectively took away the tediousness of guarding prisoners whose only escape was past the heavily constructed door that they were guarding. Guard duty was the bottom of the ale barrel for any respectable guard. The very bottom where the contents start to mold together in bland, carbonated chunks that break in your mouth and leave the WORST before and after taste that will never come out. Not for a month.

"Hmm! What is that?" One of the wolves robotically enunciated. He lifted his lantern to the odd churning in the usual relaxed pool. The surface was spanning and collapsing, like there was a strong current.

"Probably nothing. Just fish or something." His friend dismissed.

The other wolf had his doubts and leaned closer to the pool. It was faint...but he's sure he saw something GROWINg in the water. "Uh, I don't think that's a fish!" His friend groaned irately, trudging to the pool edge. He leaned in with his friend to see what was bothering him.

Before either could fathom what was in the water, a large pink hand and small blue hand grabbed tufts of fur and pulled them under. A deathly splash hissed in the small cavern. The water was ravaged by heated bubbles, splashing wildly to the dried stone. The glow of their lanterns emanated to the surface, then slowly died down with the decrease of bubbles. When all seemed calm, the waters serene, Carmelita leapt from the water, shock pistol at the ready and her guard up. She pressed her back near the door, peering into the hallway for approaching guards. No one seemed to hear the noise. In fact, no one was even remotely close to the dungeon entrance. She stalked backwards, swishing her tail in the water. Alauna and Murray jumped out, fists and swords ready.

"All clear, Bentley." Carmelita informed, dressing out of the suit and into her normal clothes. Alauna followed suit. Murray was chivalrous and closed his eyes. "The guards were even kind enough to lend us the keys." She twirled the ring of keys on her finger.

" _Good! We don't know what cell Galleth's friends are in. You'll have to guess and go._ "

"Our specialty." Alauna pat Murray. Carmelita unlocked the door into yet another tunnel. They were sensing a theme.

 **xxx**

Meanwhile, Sly and Galleth were on the prowl for their position on the south end of the castle. They met up at their usual rendezvous at the belltower, studying the terrain for a possible entry. The security around the castle and throughout town made their approach wrenching. If one guard spots them, it's over before it even begins. It goes without saying, taking a single one of them out would undoubtedly raise an alarm.

" _Sly, Galleth, what's your position?_ " Bentley contacted.

"We're near the castle, but can't find a way to our rendezvous point." Sly warned. He isn't sure if it's lack of sleep, or the past couple of months being nothing but racing for their lives. Sly was gradually becoming more and more frustrated with the way the odds continue to stack against him and his friends.

"Leona has flooded the streets and palace with her most elite guard." Galleth clenched a fist. "We cannot risk rousing them to the offensive. Not before our companions have my men."

"He's got a point, Bentley." Sly shook his head. As much as it pains him to admit, "We don't have an opening."

" _You guys actually have a larger opening than you think."_ The two Coopers arched perplexed brows. " _Thanks to Alauna's passion for history and archaeology, she and I discovered the east wall was the product of half a hundred sieges."_

"Indeed…" Galleth sighed dismally. He was present for 11 of those sieges. He lowered his head and crossed a hand to his heart, mourning those who were lost defending one of England's grandest of legacies. In spite of its current occupiers. "How does this help us?"

" _Due to those sieges, the east wall became a prime location for wall climbers."_ He crooned, drooling over the convenience history provides. _"While you guys weren't looking, I made a tweak or two with your canes. Sly, you should be familiar with it._ "

"YES!" Sly pumped his fists. He then clamped his mouth closed, scared someone heard him. Cooper luck holding strong.

"I do not understand your vocalized triumph." Galleth mumbled, unnerved by the glee. "And usually when you claim victory so early it is a warning of something ominous."

"Trust me, you're going to love this!" Sly spire jumped to a neighboring tower, leading Galleth to the time of his life.

 **xxx**

Murray watched their back as Carmelita and Alauna led the charge through the tunnel. Shock pistol fully loaded, and shoto sword anxious for some air. The tunnel blossomed into an enormous cavern. Carved into the sheer stone walls, spanning top to bottom, left to right, were a dozen jail cells. Their jaws hit the ground, completely astounded by the marvelous architecture. Alauna more than the other two. Modern day museums try to emulate medieval dungeons or jail cells. Were it they could be hold what she is privileged to experiencing it would blow them clear out of the waters of their deluded, superficial research. The ones closer to the ground allowed them to see inside a few. A shame Alauna can't enjoy it as a historian with an interest in archaeology.

Their stomachs wrenched at the emaciated souls chained to the walls. Their skin blistered and torn from their crude and very tight shackles. Torches were alight on the sides of cells, mocking the prisoners with the _semblance_ of the daylight they craved. Instead they are torture by darkness, and very musty and humid air. And the distinct aroma of body odor, fecal matter...and blood. Murray almost lost his lunch when he peered at the ground. Lost limbs, fingernails, and clumps of hair riddled the whole ground. Drag marks were grooved into the hard stone. This was no prison. This was Hell personified. Leona Parde...was a monster.

Tanya rested her hand to her heart, mourning this poor souls. Carmelita pried herself from the horror and marveled at her muttering a prayer for these prisoners. "Can we go now?" Murray whimpered, covering his eyes.

Alauna's prayers stopped. Turning her back on the prisoners was the worst thing she's done so far. There's nothing they can do for them. "Not yet, pal. We have to find Galleth's friends." Alauna storked his back, reassuring him it wasn't bad. Truth is, it was worse. Not even she can stand this sight.

" _What is it? What do you guys see?_ " Sly pressed.

"Trust me, Sly," Carmelita bowed her head to the first three lost souls she saw, "You don't want to know." Her police training prepares her for all scenarios and outcomes. This is worse than anything present day has. She needs to distract herself. "Now about this tweak Bentley mentioned. He said it'll help you both breach the east wall, right?" Murray snickered under his breath, having a pretty good idea what Bentley was talking about. "What could it be?" Carmelita didn't have the first clue.

Alauna placed a fist in her palm, having an epiphany. "I wager 20 US dollars it's Sly's old split rock climbing canes!" She crossed her fingers, wanting that big money. There was a rum roll.

 **xxx**

Sly and Galleth crouched inside a rug merchant's stand, pressing their backs flush to the rugs. Three Cyborg wolves trudged on by. Their languorous, oppressive footstep sending jolts through the hard stone ground and into their bodies. Once confident that the cyborgs had gone from earshot, Sly flicked his cane and it split off into the two smaller climbing canes he abused in Canada. He missed these things. "Nice, Allie!" Sly guffawed. And Alauna's funds just keep growing. "And way to bring back a classic, Bentley! I've missed these babies!" He kissed the twin canes.

Galleth admired the cane, then ogled his. For such a contraption to be possible stands on the very edge of sorcery itself. Like Carmelita's lightning weapon. If Bentley spoke true, his cane should do the same thing. Galleth gave his metallic cane a flick and a whip, and appearing in his hands like sorcery were two smaller versions of his cane. He guffawed giddily like a child with a new toy. "BY JOVE! THIS IS REMARKABLE!" Think of all the heads he'd be able to bash in, plus double. This mission was going to be amazing.

"Just wait till we get into some action!" Sly cackled.

" _Sly, weren't they taken away once before because you wouldn't stop trying out your...Amazing Cooper Routine?_ " Alauna playfully scolded.

" _No! That was while he was breaking them in._ " Bentley corrected her. " _I took them away because he was using them to roast marshmallows._ " There was a long pause from the hideout to the dungeons to a perplexed Galleth ogling a blushing Sly. " _He used his Amazing Cooper routine and threw the cnaes like disks through fiery hoops. Nearly burning down half of Italy._ "

" _WAIT A MINUTE!_ " Alauna screeched, her head breaking through and out his ear. " _YOU'RE THE ONE WHO BURN DOWN MY FAVORITE CALZONE PLACE?!_ " Suddenly Sly developed the keen instinct to run away and never return. Much like that little lion from that movie.

 **xxx**

"SERIOUSLY!" Carmelita can't take it anymore. Alauna and Murray ogled her strangely. "How do you know about all of this?! I was there for most of it and don't even remotely know half the things you do!"

"I frequently hung out with Bentley and the boys and we perused Paris on a few victory heists from Limoges to Italy." Carmelita folded her arms with a very angry and suspicious glare. Sly and the gang were cringing at the look they were not present for. "Easy. It was to celebrate The Cooper Gang's reunion after the Klaww Gang Affair. After Sly's whole _Amnesia_ phase," A phase that still rankles Carmelita and Sly to no feasible end, "Bentley and I spent a great deal of time talking about the adventures we've been on. We spared no detail."

" _We should really have more days like that, Alauna._ " Bentley timidly proposed, blushing on the other end.

Alauna smiled with flushed cheeks, her heart fluttering in the nostalgia. "Definitely! I'd love that!" Her tail wagged animatedly.

 **xxx**

Galleth removed his communicator for a moment, leaning in close to Sly. "These two get along rather splendidly, do they not?" He chortled teasingly.

Sly removed his communicator. "You don't know the half of it." He snorted. "These two get along better than anyone else I know." Even better than when Sly and Alauna were the number one team up.

"Most impressive." Galleth stroked his chin foxily. He was curious about their banters and shorthands. The leopardess has an Achilles Heel. A romantic one at that. "Most impressive indeed."

"Be impressed later, Pal. We have to get going!" Sly warned him. Galleth apologized and the two raced off.

The east wall was easily accessible from the canal. Luckily, small boats were roaming the waters, tarps covering cages and other goods being shuttled from the ships docked in the nearby harbor. Galleth and Sly timed the arrival of the next boat. A blind mole rat was driving the boat. Galleth would have been scared were it not for the fact he was what stood between his friends and certain doom. The mole rat drove the boat right beneath. They took a deep breath and jumped. Incidentally, the mole rat was catapulted sky high, sent hurtling into the city and landing in the middle of a birthday party. The two Coopers cringed regretfully, but paddled onward. The snipers on the walls intensely focused the ends of their arrows on the tiniest ripple in the water.

From the corner of their eyes they spotted the boat, snapping their aim directly for it. Confused expressions filled their brows. An old woman was being shown a romantic time through the canal with her husband paddling? What's that about? They shrugged it off and turned their backs completely from the unwanted sight. The old man and woman stripped their clothing, revealing a very relieved pair of Coopers. They counted their blessings, but held onto them with iron grips.

"Alright, pal! We're at the wall!" Sly reported. Galleth spotted the dulled pockmarks scattered about the wall. Iron prongs implanted by the enemy long ago were swiftly removed, leaving the enemy with one less access point, and the castle was scars to always remind the people of those horrid sieges. He pinched a piece of the brick stone, grounding pieces between the index finger and thumb. He nodded confirmation, then hammered his severed cane. The hooked end embedded itself deep in the weakened stone. A couple of test tugs and Galleth was certain the climb was possible. "We're making the climb now. We'll be at the south side before you know it."

 **xxx**

" _You guys catch all that?_ " Bentley forwarded to Carmelita and the others.

"Loud and clear." She answered sternly. "We'll have Galleth's friends in hand before you know it."

"Maybe not that soon." Alauna hummed pensively to herself. There are three different paths likely leading deeper into the dungeons.

"Dang! Didn't think this place would be such a maze!" Murray rumbled, itching his head. "How do we pick which way? Unless Galleth's friends are right here?" He shrugged hands to the cells in the immediate area.

"If it were that easy Galleth wouldn't need our help." Carmelita rumbled. Murray groaned somberly, lowering his head.

Alauna mulled over their situation, deliberated on the different paths leading inside the dungeons. "In days past, the most dangerous prisoners are kept out of general population and in isolation." Considering Galleth's friends are his linchpin, Leona has acknowledged them as the utmost danger. She touched her ear wig. "Bentley, do you see anything like that on your schematics? It will be smaller than anywhere else, yet big enough to house maybe two dozen prisoners. A place where prisoners would be forgotten." The grim reverb in her voice wavered Galleth's spirit. Sly reassured him with a pat to the back that Alauna only sounds callous. The point of a forgotten place in a prison serves their purposes nicely.

" _Good call, Alauna!"_ He asked her to hold on. The temperate sounds of his fingers dancing on his holographic keyboard made her smile. He always has the answers. " _Okay! If you guys head right, you should come to what seems to be an isolation area."_ Bentley is working off old schematics, so he has to cross his fingers.

"Thanks, pal!" Alauna darted to the right tunnel. Carmelita had to drag Murray with his eyes closed. Alauna kept a hand to her shoto sword, dating her sharp glare to every inch of the tunnel. "There aren't any guards." She rumbled ominously.

"I've noticed." Carmelita murmured. "Aside from the ones at the pool, I haven't seen a guard inside here since we got here."

"What does that mean?" Murray clenched his fists, ready to scrap. He expected the walls to collapse in on them. Or for guards to sprout from the ground like zombies and try to drag them under. The longer they ran in the echoes of their own footsteps, the more anxious the hippo became. The anxiety, the anticipation, the unbridled anger building inside of him. What awaits them when they reach Galleth's friends is easily answered by their previous rescue attempts.

Alauna chuckled darkly, her fangs protruding past her smiling lips. She licked them hungrily, a malicious desire in her eyes. "It means the good Duchess is going to bring some excitement to this dull job." She purred. "I cannot begin to describe how desperately I want this!"

Carmelita pulled back a short ways from her, scared of the feral lust in seeping from her. "You sure meeting the Duchess or anyone affiliated with her is a good idea?" She quizzed cryptically. "Ahlii Parda didn't exactly bring out your best qualities. Who's to say Loena won't be the same?"

"Let her." Alauna chirped, chuckling darkly. "I'm curious to see what type of monster Leona truly is." She laughed. "Perhaps we can swap notes." She licked her fingers.

 **xxx**

"Please tell me she isn't being serious?" Galleth pleaded, pulling Sly onto the castle wall. Sly couldn't bring himself to answer. With Alauna, her every action depends on her mood. Considering how homicidal she's behaving, the swapped notes she has in mind involve Leona bleeding on the floor. "Be that as it may, I think your lack of guards is attributed to their heavy stations outside." Several archers were stationed at the west and north walls. The east was left vacant due to the lack of presence in the harbor. Besides, after the prongs were removed, no one would ever dare attempt that climb. The fall into the water would undoubtedly be their last. There are dangerous fish in the water. "They are stationed all around the walls, waiting for an impetuous frontal assault." Leaving them completely oblivious to the assault within. Galleth moved swiftly in a crouch just below sight, stooping to a knee at the first turn. He motioned Sly to his side, pointing to the guards stationed on the South wall. "They are covering all exits and entrances plausible to the castle."

" _Then as much as I wanted to avoid doing so, they need to be removed!_ " Bentley decided. " _But guys, please, KEEP-IT-QUIET!_ " He boomed in a whisper. " _The eh le plan will fall apart if we're caught now."_

"OOKAY..." The two Cooper mocked him with their own whisper. It's Bloodbath Bay all over again. Quiet is a Cooper's forte. Those guards will be out cold before they know they're on the ground. They flourished their parted canes and stealthily moved in, barely shifting the air as they came right up behind their targets.

 **xxx**

" _Guys, things are about to get hot topside."_ Bentley warned. As expected, the plan was going to take a negative turn. Likely leading to an all out war in order to get out the back door. The van's engine rumbled on the other end. Bentley remotely activated the van's flight gear, warming it up for an immediate take off when the time comes. " _Have you found Galleth's friends yet?"_

"Not yet." Murray responded, huffing and puffing from all this running. These tunnels were going to be the death of him. That's if the death running the dungeons into decay don't kill him first. "We're getting close though!" He announced as they arrived at a sudden turn. "WHOA!" Murray wasn't able to stop in time and was painfully planted to a set of double sided doors. He groaned dizzily, falling into Alauna and Carmelita's arms with stars circling his head. "We're...super...close…" He moaned. Carmelita and Alauna laughed dryly, setting him to the left wall.

"We're here." Alauna announced, bringing her face to the small window. Inside was a much larger room than anticipated. Alauna wasn't able to see certain areas drifting too far off to the sides. Skeletons of those who were never permitted to breathe the fresh air riddled the abysmal floors. The crevices in the tile were tainted by spilled blood. Claw marks of the desperate to escape, the left behind nails of those who went mad from the confinement, dug maybe three feet into the walls. The whispers of air carried in by the small vent holes resonated similar to the agonized and despaired moans of the fallen. Such a bleak place to be confined. Even so...Alauna doesn't see Galleth's friends. "We have to go in." She stated grimly, taking a couple steps away from the doors.

"No guards, no sentires, barely any resistance, and an easy entry…" Carmelita listed every single miracle that is virtually the hallmark of disaster to come, "This has to be a trap." She hissed.

Alauna smirked sinisterly. "Indeed it is." She purred, taking the knobs in her hands. Murray and Carmelita gaped in dismay. This shift in the air...she hadn't noticed it until now. Foreboding, chilling, shining sickles tracing ever so lightly at those thin veins of arteries in the neck. Where, should they take another step, the possibility of death increased ten fold. The stench masked under the blood and death bringing about the decay in this wretched place. The hairs from her tail to her neck standing on end, causing these ever so pleasant tingles to flood her skin. Her blood was boiling with excitement. The knowledge lurking behind the mystery of the absent guards and sever lack of security around the most coveted of prisoners. It made Alauna want to throw her head back and laugh. "Shall we spring it?" She parted the doors.

A humid, musty, and bitter taste of iron air washed over them in a tidal wave. Murray's eyes started to water. Walking inside was similar to taking a step into a thick stew of whatever vile ingredient could be thrown into the vat. The room's space was corroded by a suspicious cloud of some kind. The torches glows were made fuzzy by the surprisingly dense cloud. What created this mist was a mystery. But what it smelled of wasn't. The skeletal remains and putrid corpses lying about - this cloud was created by the rotting bodies left here. A plague to assure those who enter solitary never walk out to breathe the fresh air for long.

"My god…" Carmelita's knees quaked. Her heart was shattering into dozens of pieces at what lied before her. "Human traffickers didn't even resort to something as deprave as this." The skeleton of a man was chained to the farthest wall. A tray of old food, now infested with mold, and a cup of not so fresh water rested just out of his reach. The trauma she was able to identify from the bones depicted he practically pulled his limbs from their sockets, only to cripple himself into an early grave. The food would never be his, and he would perish starving. "These poor people." For the first time, Alauna was silent. She offered no words of mourn, or heated lashing of vengeance for these lost souls. She merely stood there in the middle of the horrific dungeon. Her head hung with her bangs masking her eyes. Her mouth was parted open, as if she was at a loss of how to react to this scenario. _Could this be too much for her?_

" _Do you see my friends?!_ " Galleth pleaded.

"Not yet! We're still-"

"OVER HERE!" Murray cried. Carmelita and Alauna whipped around. They gasped in fright. Four knights - a monkey, lynx, mink, and fox - were shackled to the wall. Their emaciated forms hanging limply in resignation of the fate designed for them. The death they so richly beseeched. Their hands bound tightly behind their backs, their arms were wrenched to shoulder height - possibly higher. Their elbows and forearms twisted and contorted in order to fit the iron clamps fastening their limbs in their slanted position. From their ankles to the crook of their calves, the same iron clamp kept their legs pinned to the stone floor. There were tool marks in the ground around their scarred and bloody knees. The stones purposefully ruptured, jagging rocks digging into their flesh to the bone.

"Galleth, we've found them! They don't look good!" Carmelita whimpered.

Galleth finished gagging the last of the south end archers, pausing in abject fear of the state his comrades were in. " _Do they still breathe?"_ He implored.

Carmelita knelt to each one, gently placing two fingers at the crooks of their necks. Each one flinched as if receiving a shock, bringing a moderate relief to Carmelita. "They're alive. But only barely. They need medical attention now." Wood and dust trickled to Alauna's shoulder. She looked to it, but refrained from looking up. She was not oblivious to the two...no...three lurking in the shadows. The distinctive tension of a bow string being pulled to it's limit tickled her ear. "Let's get them and go. Murray!"

Murray cracked his knuckles, bending his fingers back. Those chains will crumble under the might of The Murray! Carmelita urged him to be careful. A premature, rather novice, examination of their dehydrated limbs revealed a brittleness in their bones. Murray or Carmelita could unintentionally shatter their bones. To which Murray boasted of how very little Carmelita knows of Murray's true might. A true champion knows when to apply the maximum force, and when to be as tender as a steak. Sometimes the greatest strength is not using any.

Alauna took several steps back, slowly creeping her fingers to the hilt of her shoto blade. Murray barely freed the mink from her shackles, tenderly cradling her breathless figure in his hands. Carmelita freed the monkey next, using the brunt of her shoulders to support his dying weight. Holding in her breath she lied him down, using her shock pistol to support his head. Those thin threads of life were mustering every ounce of strength to hang on. These knights are real troopers. They deserve the highest honor for their fortitude. A feast to get them back on their feet, and then awards. Alauna will certainly do the honors herself. Hunters, law enforcement, and soldiers of the future should take a page out of their book.

This twisted toothy grin split her lips. "Lord what fools we leopards be." She crooned. "Cannot any of our fond pageant see…" She realizes the verse isn't on point or in order, but boy did it feel fun to say.

"Alauna, what are you-" Carmelita shook her head, turning to scold the sadistic leopard. Her fiery orbs widened with horror. A fined arrowhead reflected in her eye, drilled straight for her skull. In one motion Alauna severed the arrowhead, sending the projectile off course and bouncing off the nearest wall. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

"The trap is sprung." She hummed. Murray out himself between whoever shot at Carmelita and the worn out knights. Forget an arrow plunging into a part of their bodies. The stress alone will end them into comatose state. Carmelita whisked her pistol f I'm the Monkey's head, taking care to rest his head gently to the floor. she shined the light into the dim isolated cell, focusing hard on the severely dim space.

"Where do it come from?!" Carmelita snarled.

"I don't know!" Murray darted side to side, scuffling his feet.

Alauna laughed to herself, applauding the failed assassination attempt. The would be assassins are very sloppy. "I must thank you for allowing us free entry. I must admit my lack of will in dealing with these idiotic guards you've employed." Alauna moved her glowing eyes to the rafters above. "I can only imagine our exit being just as feasible. And should you stand in our way, well, " Alauna purred, lathering her dried lips, "This certainly will be one of my more interesting exploits."

Carmelita and Murray were baffled by her claim, and slightly unnerved. The look in Alauna's eye. The blood lust and hunger. She resembled a demon once more. As they went to ask, a masked figure in all red leapt from the ceiling, aligning an arrow with the chest of the posturing leopardess. "None of you will leave here! Not with your lives!" She declared. Alauna smirked brazenly.

A second figure descended from the rafters, shifting into her offensive stance. Much like her in red sister, this warrior was clad in blue. Her piercing silver eyes met with Murray's sending beads of sweat down his back. Strapped to her forearms were a set of daunting gauntlets. Brass knuckles strapped to her hands. At her calves were armored leggings, the Stainless Steel shimmering in the dull torchlight. Murray curled and uncurled his fists, cracking his knuckles as he glared her down.

"Well, Galleth, guess this explains why there are no guards." Carmelita attempted to make light of their situation. The red and blue figures parted to the sides. Duchess Leona emerged from the shadows of the dungeon. Her malevolent smile alight with a meaning hue. "Your Duchess has come to greet us personally."

 **To be continued.**


	27. We Are What We Are

**We Are What We Are**

 **Alright. Because I've been gone so long, I'll give you two chapters.**

 **xxx**

Back at the hideout, the whole room went silent and everyone was rooted in place. Bentley, through use of the coms, has been projecting every second of the mission from the van to the ancestors waiting in the rafters. Bob, Slytunkhamen, and Salim went pale as sheets as they heard Carmelita announce that their whole mission was a trap from the get go. Duchess Leona Parde, and two masked assailants, intercepted Carmelita, Murray, and Alauna in the dungeons. While the ancestors were disappointed in their young proteges for not expecting this outcome, they were equally disgusted with themselves. Red flags should have appeared the moment they heard there were no guards, save for the two that were drowned, guarding the prison. Instead, like with Ahlii Parda and the shocking impervious canons he employed, The Cooper Gang became complacent. Arrogant in the narrow escapes they've succeeded in completing. In other words, they've become addicted to improvised luck. And steadily that luck is running out. By the looks of it, it was just snuffed out.

Sly and Galleth, stuck at their intended rendezvous, had become breathless in how flawlessly Leona had trapped their friends. Now that they have a moment to think about it...getting past a wall full of guards was too easy. Not to mention, none of them have come back on their route to inspect the southern wall. And...it was REALLY quiet.

"Uh-oh…" The two muttered to one another. Chills rasied the hairs on their necks at sharp, cold objects at their necks. They slowly lowered their canes and raised their hands. "I guess this means there won't be an escape plan." Galleth sarcastically muttered. Sly mouthed a no, shaking his head.

" _Guys, if Leona beat them inside then there's a chance she knows where we're escaping! You have to go!_ " Bentley warned them. How wouldn't she know?

"Too late." Sly sardonically replied. The wall archers surrounded them, trapping them at the devastating drop. They slowly turned to meet them, feeling too squeamish to stare out to the sea. Sly snuck a glance over the edge, spotting Bentley hovering the van at their exit. "Bentley, if you plan to escape, you need to run now! We'll be fine!" Galleth admired Sly's wish to ease his friend's fears. The Cooper skill is unmatched, but he sincerely doubts even they can escape a trap set by a leopard. They are devious tacticians.

 **xxx**

"No you won't!" Bentley slammed a fist to the van's dash. "CURSES!" He cringed. Again! Again, again, again! "How can I be so stupid?!" He despised himself. YET AGAIN he walked his friends into a trap. One would think after the last couple of times he'd have wised up and would have come to see traps coming a mile away.

"How does this keep happening?" Penelope, and whoever this Pigeon is she works with, knew from the beginning that Sly was lost in time, and that his friends would come to rescue him. And ever since ancient Egypt she's masterfully predicted their every move and has a cohort ready to encounter them. Contessa, Bison, and Rajan - accompanied by leopards of the past - have come within another breath of eliminating them without effort. Rajan the closest. Whoever Leona is paired with...they are just as many steps ahead and are about to go for the gold.

"Why do I keep sending them into these messes?" Bentley cursed himself. Those fingers have been weapons of mass destruction since his days in the orphanage. Hacking at firewalls, demolishing viruses, manipulating tech for his own purposes. He is the puppeteer of computers. Now he's merely a hack hacker barely scraping by. As inconceivable as it sounds, after all these years, he's probably losing his touch.

"I'll be back! I...I think I have a plan!" Bentley veered the van around, heading off into the night.

 **xxx**

Galleth and Sly paused, sweat running down their backs. "Did he just say _I think_?" Galleth's voice cracked.

"I sure hope the coms are glitching." Sly moaned moaned.

"Hold your tongues, vermin!" The captain archer warned. Sly and Galleth went silent, and were hoping Bentley came back fast.

 **xxx**

Murray, Carmelita, and Alauna formed a barricade in front of the weakened thieves. Fists, gun, and swords raised at the three leopards that cornered them in the ghastly prison. The aim is to join these three trapped rats with the others and lure another rodent into their clutches. Under the threat of the arrow aimed for their hearts, and the gauntlets ready to reduce their bones to dust, The Cooper Gang felt a twinge of thrill and unease. Leona at the helm, the women assumed to be her daughter seemed dangerous. By Galleth's own depiction they aren't to be trifled with. That is part of the thrill. The fear is for the weakened thieves barely breathing behind them. A fight is inevitable. Neither of the Cooper Gang will delude themselves into thinking it won't come. But for the sake of the thieves they need to make it quick, and spaced from them.

"It would seem the rumors are true." Leona hummed suggestively. Carmelita and Murray braced themselves. The red and blue clad leopards readied their weapons. "There is another leopardess amongst us. You are quite lovely." She licked her lips huskily.

Alauna snuffed at the false flattery. "Duchess Leona, I presume." She curtsied gracefully, appreciating her preceding reputation. "You flatter me beyond words, My Lady. But you are the vision here."

Murray gagged and was punched by Carmelita. "She's building rapport. Don't blow it!" She whispered heatedly.

"I know that, but it's hard to stomach!" Alauna isn't the flattering type. Real or not.

"No need for us to bandy words." Alauna diverted Leona's wandering attention from her friends. Their banter wasn't appealing to the Duchess. "We would like to free these men, thus freeing Galleth from your clutches."

"I am afraid that is a request I will not be fulfilling." She shot it down instantly.

"Aw, and here I was worried you would." She fawned with flushed cheeks. She ran her tongue along her blade, eyes never leaving Leona as she chuckled. "Now I can see for myself if my blood lost its touch by your era." Leona covered her inquiry with a half smile. "Don't pretend. You know who I am and what I am to you. We share more than a resemblance and a taste for violence." She licked her lips.

Leona propped an elbow to her palm, curling a hand to her chin. "It would seem the second rumors are true." She muttered under her breath. A gaggle of dying thieves, two amatures, and a very deadly leopardess. With her two daughters thirsting for blood, this will make for an exciting evening. However an all out brawl in a jail amongst the filth isn't nearly as poetic as she likes. So a bit of drama to see if the leopardess of the future can hold her own. "Do you know of the _Rights to Satisfaction_?"

"In my time that's known as throwing down. Though a severe lack of honor is included."

"Well here we value honor. And on our honor," Lena placed hands at their lower backs, "My daughters, Rosalia and Tulia, will be your opponents." They were smirking under their masks. One girl against two trained assassins. Leona insults her own daughters. Or so they boasted in their minds. "You may ask for a partner, or you may choose to fight alone. Either way, should you lose - and you will - you all will become my prisoners." Leona declared confidently. None in all of England can stand up to her daughters. None from the farthest reaches will be able to either.

"Then when I win - and I will," Alauna matched her haughty tone, "You allow us and these prisoners to walk free."

Leona couldn't resist laughing aloud. Not only do combatants not stand a chance in battle against her daughters, prisoners have never walked free from this prison. Neither shall happen today. The girl may carry herself like an assassin, but Leona will assure this child that she is nothing but an infant at play. "We have an accord darling."

"Good." About time some fun was offered. However, it won't require a partner like Leona is goading her to take. "Murray, hold these!" Alauna tossed her swords and guns to him. He clumsily hugged them to his chest, humming absolutely confused by what she was doing. "Carmelita, set your clock for three minutes."

"WHY?!" Both bellowed shrilly. Carmelita still set her timer.

Alauna strutted confidently to the middle of prison. She cracked her knuckles, her shoulders, twisted her spine, and stretched out the tedium stiffening her. With a taunting and smug smirk she decreed, "Because it will require no effort dispatching these little girls." Her smirk widened by the affronted scoffs and sneers from either daughter. Leona, on the other hand, approved of Alauna's arrogance. Pride before a fall was delicious karma. "I'll even leave my jacket on. Don't want to make this too difficult for you two." She flipped her collar, winking mockingly.

"Self absorbed tart!" The one named Rosalia took aim. She's as fiery as the color she wears. "You will pay for your insults." Alauna liked the fire in her eyes. Her grandfather boasted of a similar fire she herself has. Though it was posturing. Alauna pretended not to notice the girl named Tulia hadn't vanished. A classic not common in this age. "You still have time to ask for help." She pulled the arrow back further, tightening the bow string to its breaking point.

"Now why would I turn coward like you?" She crooned. Rosalia bared her fangs and let the arrow fly. Alauna snickered darkly, enthusiastically stood her ground and caught the arrow milliseconds before it impaled her eye. Murray and Carmelita were dumbfounded, then abruptly stunned by Tulia's appearance behind her. Rosalia's grin told them she was done. They attempted to cry out and warn her. Tulia launched a brass knuckle punch straight for the back of her head and was instantly robbed of her steam by a stretching hand catching it. Alauna had effortlessly reached behind her head and stopped her dead. In another motion she spun to the left, forcing Tulia forward, and stabbed the caught arrow into her thigh. Tulia howled in pain. Alauna wrapped the back of her arm around her neck to her upper back. The other hand went to her lower back. Alauna lifted the woman and flipped her, slamming her hard to her stomach on the blood covered stone. The ringing of her armor paled to the snapping of bones making Murray and Carmelita cringe. The wind trapped in her lungs exploded with bile and blood into her mask. Rosalia was locked in the same bubble of disbelief, her bow and arrow lowering. "Is that really all they have?" Alauna strutted for Leona, ignoring the arming daughter. "Because you might as well let me walk out now." Leona's smile never wavered. Alauna knit her brow suspiciously. She's sensing traits of Ahlii Parda in that smile.

"WHY YOU…" Rosalia readied two arrows and fired. Alauna stooped low, admired the breeze of the grazing arrows. They struck the skulls of two chain skeletons. Alauna charged on all fours, climbing to two feet with her arms stretched back. Rosalia rapidly skipped backwards to maintain her distance, unleashing one arrow after the other. Alauna ducked and dodged, savoring the minor scratches her missing arrows left on her cheek or jacket. Not a single drop of blood spilled. The next three arrow were caught in one hand and sent screeching for their owner in the other. Rosalia shot down the first two but had to dodge the last. She lost a few hair strands. In her distraction she saw a hand gunning for her out of the corner of her eye. But when she went to swat it, it swooped down low and snaked around her waist. Both her wrists, with the bow in hand, were forced above her head. Jaws, including Leona's, hit the floor as Alauna captured Rosalia's mouth in a rough, lack of passion kiss. Rosalia screamed muffled protests that slowly lost breath in her growing daze. _IS HER TONGUE IN MY MOUTH?!_

Murray blankly snapped a quick photo. "The guys won't believe this."

"Somehow I'm not surprised." Carmelita replied in a drone.

Alauna tenderly parted, letting her tongue snake from Rosalia's. She smiled with sinisterly charming hue. The shallow, shaky breaths of the flabbergasted Rosalia tickled her inside. The thumping at her chest was intoxicating. Alauna could see in her eyes the turmoil she faced with this. But her mind wasn't able to transmit a response other than vague grunts. "I didn't think my bloodline possessed prudes." She purred, stroking her tail. "Was that your first kiss, lovely?"

Rosalia heated up like a thermometer, growling with such contempt her head was splitting. "YOU MISERABLE-" She pushed in. Alauna heard metal scraping behind her. She dropped as Rosalia tried to push. She rolled to the ground, kicking the red clad leopard off by the stomach. Tulia barely stood and was already bowled over by her sister.

Alauna sprang back to her feet in an animalistic crouch, her tail whipping side to side. "TIME!" She called.

Carmelita stopped it and she and Murray gawked. "30 seconds!" Alauna laughed quietly. Leona sneered with disgust of her girls. Two minutes and 30 seconds to spare with nothing to show for it but wounds to their pride and bodies. Glancing blows by her standards. "Amazing."

"Yeah…" Murray finally breathed. "Alauna's the best hunter around." _And the most terrifying._ And when he whispers that in his mind, he doesn't shiver. Because he knows that Alauna would never turn that terror on him or anyone else. Those that raise their hands to those she loves...may they forever know what true terror is. "The scary part here is she wasn't even trying." He wrapped her weapons to his chest. _She never tries when she drops her weapons._ Which is why he asks _why_ does she play with her opponents.

Rosalia and Tulia shoved one another, snarling heatedly at the slowly rising leopard. Alauna turned around, and through matted hair the sister flinched at the demon slit of her pupil. Those magenta orbs not unlike blades, shredding their insides to ribbons. Tulia raised a vengeful fist, and was horrified that one of her gauntlets was missing. "Here you go." Alauna tossed it back to her. Tulia let it hit the floor and roll to her, refusing to accept charity from the wretch. "Would have used it but I swore to take it easy on you." Rosalia and Tulia scrambled onto their feet, taking up their weapons once more. Alauna chuckled under breath, welcoming the posturing. "You know, the most I sweated was the swim in here. You two can't even make me break half of one." She might as well kill them now...were it she wouldn't vanish.

The sisters raised gauntlet and arrows. Together they will bring this witch to her knees and they will savor every snap of her bones as they bludgeon her to nothing. Were it their sister was there, this wretched pretender wouldn't stand a chance. They will make her see and understand the futility of challenging them. "STOP!" Leona bellowed. The sisters stopped aghast. Heads snapped to the approaching Leona, meandering in the path to Alauna. "You two are done!" Her piercing stare was enough command to make her stand down. Those two won't disobey their mother.

"But mother!" Tulia shouted in outrage. "We have yet to fight! We can still take victory!"

Leona snapped her head back, "You lost the moment she placed a kiss upon you, and disarmed you!" The two sank in shame. Tulia grasping her gauntlet, and Rosalia touching her lips. "The next time she may actually kill you."

"She can't! We are her ancestors, are we not?!" Tulia debated.

"Do you truly think that scares me, little girl?" Alauna taunted. The fist fighter hissed ferally.

"STAY!" Leona ordered for the last time. She will not ask a third. Choking their pride down was similar to swallowing a stone. The sisters sheathed their weapons, taking submissive steps behind their mother. Leona brought her full attention to Alauna. Everyone in the prison was moot except for each other. Magenta and Silver locked in a deadly stalemate, neither budging, neither flinching, and neither afraid. Only exhilaration was shared between them. That pooling heat in their wombs was forbidden. And the forbidden tempts leopards such as them. "It would seem they require more training…" Leona broke the silence. "And a very strict punishment for this embarrassing display." Rosalia and Tulia bowed in the shame. "It pleases me my bloodline does not lose it's touch in your century. You are very dangerous."

"Nice of you to notice." Alauna folded her arms, forging a barrier from the bitter sweet words. She came within one foot of Leona, impressing the leopardess once again. "Though we already know the answer, how did you know we'd come?"

"My new cohort said you would attempt a rescue. The Coopers are notoriously compassionate." Alauna snickered at the claim. If only she knew how true that was. Leona took two more steps closer, absorbing the lithe figure before her. "Though it is remarkable a leopard is volunteering to lend a raccoon aide."

"A raccoon is one of my best friends. I'll do anything for him. In spite of lineage grievances."

"A noble trait. Fears for our future are unwarranted." She stalked behind Alauna. Finger trailed up her arms like searing feathers, running up her back to her neck. Alauna refused to flinch. "Nevertheless, I cannot allow you to leave with them. Sir Galleth is the key to my plans coming to fruition."

"Reducing the minds of all who devour the spice you coat in their food into the monsters they've accused you of being?" The hand shied away. Leona taken aback by her brazen claim. The look in her daughters eyes confirmed her insecurity. "Yeah. Our family name isn't all that survives to the future."

"Then you understand." Leona's voice deepened.

"I do understand. And it hurts worse than anything you can imagine." She met the woman again, wanting her to see the rage that has fueled her blows for years. "But nothing would hurt me more than seeing those I love suffer from my worst attribute. The blood that will cover this land will only be on your hands!"

"So be it. That sits perfectly fine with me."

"No it doesn't!" Leona crumble under the biting rebuke. Alauna grasped her wirst, pulling her in so she couldn't run. "I can see it in your eyes, Leona! You don't want any part of this. You don't want this for your children!"

"You know nothing of my desires, filth!" She wrenched her hand free, tossing Alauna's away. She towered over her, faces inches apart. "The stares, the whispers, the parting crowds! Friends and family either abandoning me or living in fear! Now it is their turn to be feared! Their turn to see just how _loyal_ those who claim adoration are!" Murray and Carmelita cringed at the similarities of this tale. "I will see this land engulfed the fire of the fury I will unleash! And the parrot will help me do it!"

"Parrot?!" Murray gasped. As rare as it is, Murray was having an epiphany. Alauna's ancestors have been backed by those from the future. Past enemies brought back for round two. _A parrot...a parrot..._ He pondered vigorously. He knows there was a parrot in there somewhere.

"Now step away from the prisoners!" Leona ordered. And the rub to an easy victory. "Move or I will end your lives here and now!"

"Hold on! You said you'd let us leave!" Carmelita screeched. Leona and her daughter snickered maniacally.

"She will. But the guards heading our direction won't." Alauna clarified. Murray wondered if that drumming was just in his ears. It was everywhere. Carmelita was baffled by her reply. Her hands were spread for a more vivid response. "Dirty loopholes are a family trait." She shrugged without regret.

"Indeed they are." Leona hummed darkly. She ripped a dagger from beneath her skirt. She ran her tongue over it, savoring the slit of her tongue drawing blood. Her daughters raised their weapons again. "My guards will kill you, and those you have on my walls, should I raise a word." Carmelita and Murray tensed. _They know Galleth and Sly are here!_ Now surrender before I do."

"Do that," Alauna braved steps toward the Duchess, fists balled tightly, "And...what's her name... _Lilica,_ " She let the name roll seductively off her tongue. The reactions she received were delicious, _"_ Will follow us to Hell!"

"Lili?!" Leona cried. Carmelita, Murray, Sly, Bentley, and the ancestors all raised brows at the name. Galleth knew the name well, and found Alauna was playing a dangerous game.

"She has Lili?!" Tulia shrieked.

"What have you done with my daughter?!" Leona demanded.

"You should teach your daughter how to be stealthy!" She wiped her nose. "I smelt her lilac oil a mile away!"

"You coward…" There was that familial glimmer of bloodlust radiated in her eyes. That dagger was crippling, but Leona became death itself. "If she dies, there is a chance you will perish as well!"

"That's perfectly fine with me! Anything to help Sly!" Sly and Bentley's chests tightened. "Now set them free!" Alauna gestured to the weak thieves. "NOW, LEONA!" Her daughters looked to her, begging her not to adhere to this wretches demands. They will find Lilica on their own. They don't need to bend to the whims of this monster. The jangle of keys hitting the stone floor at the intruders' feet shattered the daughters' unyielding resolve to fight. Leona kept her head low, the abject humiliation she felt hidden behind her hair. The knife may have lingered in her grasp but it may as well be sheathed.

This submission may have shocked everyone else. Alauna knew she would never endanger her flesh and blood. Someone she loves. Especially when she knows the the one threatening her has nothing left to lose. She picked up those keys and tossed them to Carmelita. The officer didn't waste a second and freed them men. Murray was able to support three of them while Carmelita took the last one. He Left Alauna's weapons at the wall. "The south exit should be ahead." Carmelita informed Murray. "Bentley updated our exit route. We can escape through this solitary." The two staggered with their load.

Alauna and Leona kept their sights trained on one another, the daughters watching in rage as their prey escaped at such a crippling pace. Alauna turned on her heels, heading opposite from the Duchess and away from her friends. "I will endeavor to see you suffer!"

"I have no doubts." Alauna unwaveringly answered. _It's exactly what I would do._ She took up her weapons, strapping on the guns first."And make no mistake, my future aside, I will end our line with one of your daughters."

"For a raccoon?"

Alauna stopped at the confinement entrance, shooting a glossy stare to the Duchess, taking her aback. "For my friends." Leona, for the first time, was stunned silent. _Friend_ left her tongue so effortlessly. Leona touched her own lips, pondering the last time she was able to utter such a word. Alauna saw their banter was done and left.

"Where are you going?" Carmelita called after her. She was heading in the wrong direction.

"To deal with leaks on the roof!" Her eyes glowed.

 **xxx**

Bentley returned from the hideout with a new improvised weapon strapped to the roof. A remodel of Murray's potato gun the same size as the turret used in India. "Alright guys!" Bentley loaded the gun from within the van, setting the trajectory for where Sly and Galleth generally were standing. "This may hurt, but it's the best plan we have right now." The raccoons are really not liking the sound of that. Inside the gun was a household bomb of mustard oil and gas. The guards Bentley saw that had them surrounded will take the brunt of the blow, leaving Sly and Galleth to an unplanned jump. "Get ready!" They closed their eyes.

" _Before you do anything hasty."_ The two racoons had never been so happy to hear Alauna's voice in their lives. " _You three may wish to relax a bit."_

"Relax?! Why!?" Galleth barked. The guards snickered thinking he'd lost his senses. No one spoke.

"Because we're leaving." The guards and racoons snapped their heads to the slanted roofing behind. Arrows were aligned to an unarmed Alauna who stood before their gasps unafraid. "There's been a parley, gentlemen, and it would be a boon for you to adhere to it!" She snarled, meandering to the stone wall, bringing her chest to meet one arrow. The owl archer holding it quaked as she drew a trickle of blood. "We are leaving this prison without incident! And if you lot don't get lost now I will slit your throats and feed you to the creatures below!" Sly and Galleth's arms fell in their dismay. "NOW!" She roared like the feral cat she was. The archers dropped their bows and they took off into the night, their feathers left behind. Alauna stroked hairs behind her ear. She pretended that Sly and Galleth weren't also fighting the urge to run. Honestly it made her want to live. "Murray and Carmelita are waiting below to help. I have somewhere to be."

"Where is that?" Galleth questioned gruffly.

"There's a little lily I need to tend to." The reply was cryptic, but Galleth surmised the meaning. The coms cut out after the mentioning of Lilica.

"Sly, will you be able to see to my friends alone?"

"Shouldn't be a problem, but-" Galleth leapt across the roof, vanishing after Alauna, "WAIT! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" His words went unanswered. He slapped hands at his thighs. "What the heck is going on with everyone today?"

 **xxx**

Alauna stalked out of the small town, wandering deep into the fog ridden forest encompassing it. The guards in the square are in such a panic over their missing Captain. If only they knew the silly man was in hiding in order to come to grips with his sins. Sins she should have thrown at Leona from the get go. A woman of her stature would crumble to nothing under the scandal. While Alauna thrives on scandals. They feed her sadism. As do followers with heavy feet.

"Did Sly ask you to babysit me, Sir Galleth?" She crooned.

He appeared from behind a tree, hands folded behind his back. "Nothing so lascivious or traitorous." In other words, Sly still trusts her for the time being. She scoffed at the idea, but found comfort in it. She let him tag along. Not that he would leave if she asked. Coopers are notoriously stubborn and curious as they are compassionate. "You made quick work of Leona's daughters. I commend you."

"There are traits that haven't faded in my bloodline." She climbed over a massive root peeling from the dirt. "One being our duplicitous nature, the other being our repertoire for not making the same mistake twice."

"Meaning?" Galleth hung on the root with a tilted head.

"They are complacent in their status and gender, and are granted victory by being underestimated." As most women are in this day and age. "They underestimated me and did not take me seriously until too late when Leona called the match." She scoured the entangling roots, looking within the murkiness created by the fog. Leona's daughters made light of her and will live with their humiliation for the days to come. "The youngest learned sooner what happens when you underestimate me."

"And what precisely is it people should learn about you." Galleth curtly asked, seating on the root.

Alauna reached inside the roots, grinning darkly at a muffled grunt when she grasped tufts of hair. "That I am the very thing Hell spits out when they cannot be leashed! RIGHT, LILICA!" She pulled with all her strength. A gagged and bound woman in a lilac tunic was thrown to the moist soil. Her hood down so she could not hide the utter rage twisting her lovely features. The sheathes at her back and hips were empty. The short swords they kept were hidden somewhere close by. Dirt caked at the midriff. The colored plating at her forearms and calves were tainted by the elements she's endured the entire night, and from her many attempts to break free. "Before you fly off the handle, I made your beloved mother a deal and she accepted." Galleth's shock nearly knocked him off the root. Alauna yanked the daughter in close, "I am a woman of my word, so please don't make me a liar." She cut Lilica free, removing the gag.

Lilica spat in her face. She didn't flinch an inch. "Why shouldn't I kill you now?! Make you pay for the shame you've inflicted upon my family?!"

Sir Galleth audibly gasped as Alauna took Lilica's tunic to wipe away the saliva. "Because I swore to your mother that my existence means nothing." She clicked her gun, putting the barrel at her chin. "Our family line will fade into nothingness. Either by you, your sisters, or your mother. Our bloodline will wither and I will smile in that banishment." Lilica and Galleth were horrified to a loss for words. The scariest aspect of this conversation was not the words or her expression. It's the unwavering promise etched into stone, and the devotion to her word running the grind stone along the sickle in her eyes. "Go home, Lilica." She commanded in a tone rivaling Leona's. Voiceless she nodded, unable to disobey. "Good." Alauna stepped aside, gesturing a hand to her freedom. Without another word, Lilica picked her dirtied figure off the ground and disappeared into the forest. Alauna released a held breath. Relief wasn't so gracious to fall on her shoulders. As she looked at her hands, disgust was all she could feel. Who is she kidding. Disgust is all she felt where she herself is concerned. And why shouldn't' she? Threatening the lives of others, including her own, is becoming second nature. And unburdening.

"Well...that was...woof!" Galleth clapped, forcing a laugh to lighten the grim mood. Sly has the same irritating sense for piss poor timing. He slid off the tree. "Let us return to the others." He paused at Alauna remaining stagnant. Staring at her palm as if it were foreign to her. Perhaps a trick of the light but Galleth swore he saw her eyes change color. "Lady Alauna." He beckoned again.

"Hm! Yes, I'm coming." She trailed after him. She wondered, in their silence, if Sir Galleth sensed her wavering constitution. The blood lust she has ventured into a craze to resist. But the longer this family adventure drags on, the harder it becomes to distance herself emotionally. Long and daunting was the sickle curving to her neck. Icy appendages curling to her wrist, their will coaxing her own hand to slide that sickle along the thin arteries. In that she would find salvation...and would never bring danger to Sly or his family again.

 **xxx**

"RRRAAAHHH…" Leona howled at the top of her lungs. A bottle of wine shattered on the wall, staining drapes and carpet for the rest of their days. She huffed and puffed and blew whiffs of flames as the adrenaline in her veins fired on all cylinders. Those brazen magenta orbs never left her thoughts. Their shackling resolve couples with those unhesitant decrees. Leona is the Duchess of this land. She is to be Queen and Lord over all. In the years it's taken to secure that position…one adolescent leopardess brings her to her knees. Her and her daughters. Were it there were witnesses she would be the laughing stock of all of England. "That miserable...mal contentious...malignant…"

"Heir to your tyranny." Leona unsheathed her dagger and flicked it, impaling wall and curtain mere feathers from the skull of a crooning Arpeggio. "How adorably alike the two of you are."

"Did you enjoy your arranged entertainment, Parrot?" She spat with venomous disgust. "Watching my daughters and I be made fools of?! Your former protege putting us _in our place!_ "

"I was under the impression that your place was on the throne." Arpeggio nonchalantly countered.

"Which I will not do so long as she and that Cooper are lurking about!" She smashed another bottle of wine. That's the b bottles merchants will be replacing. "That throne has been my one goal since my husband's death! I will not lose it to a child and a rodent!" She ran a hand down a window, caressing the moon. Like her rightful place on the throne, it was so close and just out of her grasp. And only growing farther away. "My wishes may never come true. Not without the throne. They will turn to ash in my palm the moment they are in reach."

"And what do you wish while I am here?" Arpeggio purred. The divine temptations prideful failures breed that he will nuture.

Her claws shrilly dragged grooves into the glass panes. The light of the full moon radiating in her silver pools. "That leopardess and Galleth." She ripped her claws across the window. The tiles and bars were sliced to shimmering shards. "The last thing they will learn in this life…" She raised her immaculate nails to the grinning parrot, "Is how CRUEL I can be!"

There was a rumble of thunder resonating with her declaration. Arpeggio licked his beak hungrily, savoring the feline's fury. "And then they will all see the monster you hide," He muttered out of her ear shot, "Won't they, Alauna?"

 **To be continued**

 **Not much action wise, but I'm working on a rough idea. IE I will give you two more chapters after this one.**


	28. Party in Disguise

**Party in Disguise**

 **Okay. Next chapter.**

 **xxx**

Leona lost herself in her study. A quill in hand she signed her signature to a form for the upteenth time. Flitting away at tedious extradition orders, barter treaties and other transactions, while a glass of wine was an inch from her hand. _Knock-knock-knock,_ came taps at her door. "Enter," She curtly responded. The mahogany door creaked open. Two sets of footsteps entered her room, furrowing her brow as she refused to address more guard inquiries. She pretended to be engrossed in her work, but granted the two soldiers the courtesy of, "Speak." Like dogs they should be spoken to like dogs.

"Duchess…" Was the despondent reply.

"Mother." Came a meek voice attempting to sound strong.

Leona was taken aback by the voices, lifting her steadily widening mouth and eyes. She rose from her desk, jaw clenched. Her feverish Captain, drenched to the bone and red as a beet, stood before her with his hands behind his back. He stayed in the black garments from his failed watch, feeling unworthy of his armor. The guilt on his face, and the shame he wore like a cape, weighed heavily on the bull dog. Should it be so, he would collapse through the floor for the failure he's brought to her name. To be spared this agony he'd drop to a knee and take a sword to his own neck there and now.

Lilica stood beside The Captain with a similar air are humiliation. She left her hood down and with her hand secured behind her back, freeing herself to any punishments Leona saw fit to administer. A leopardess in the privilege a hauntingly domineering family name. Now, once the public learns of her capture, it will be reduced to a joke. A line for running gags in those forsaken anecdotes the literates write. Captured by one of her own from another era whilst on the hunt. Though not uncommon for an apex to seek an apex. But for the clearly better to be undone within a matter of seconds. Is there nothing more disgusting? Unbearable is Leona's silence.

"Neither of you need explain your absence." Leona proclaimed grimly. Her hands folded in her lap, "Your captors all but boasted of your incompetence." She pronounced her steps to the front of the desk. Each clop caused the pair to flinch. Not unlike her words. She paced left and right, the moon casting her oppressive shadow unto them. "A daughter whom I trained personally in the stealthy art of assassination undone and left somewhere unknown to either her or myself, unable to either escape or find way to send word!" Lilica shuddered under her terrifying clairvoyance. If she didn't know better, she'd think Leona was present. "And a Captain I hand picked from the days of my husband's chauvinistic tyranny renowned for his skills in the infantry and his depravity in his interrogations subdued by a little girl!" The Captain wished that was a real blade in his chest. "My eldest daughters proved their incompetence in the face of this child as well! Twisting my arm with the same pressure I twisted Sir Galleth's!" The pair blinked in shock. Someone defeated Tulia and Rosalia. "And now I find myself at odds of how to proceed."

Lilica and the Captain offered her no advice due to their absence. They felt it wasn't their place. Leona stirred in her recalcitrant obsession. Sir Galleth Cooper was already a massive thorn in her side. Always thwarting her and intervening in her plans. Now he is paired with a member of his own blood centuries from her era, as dangerous and ruthless as he is honorable and noble. The bonds they would forge should their relationship be allowed to flourish. Leona and her entire rule would be diminished to nothing, and they will be left crawling back to whence they came. To nothing.

"Sir Galleth, ...Alauna is her name, and that blasted Cooper Gang must be hindered." Leona decreed. Swiftly and without mercy by her tone. "My companion assures me there is dissolution amongst their ranks since their last adventure." She stroked the bauble on the end of her dagger pensively. Dissolution in ranks is similar to chaos in war. Opportunities are abundant. The timing is what will mold or destroy it. "Sir Galleth and Alauna must be brought to heel. Their entire squad will topple with them."

"That is why I am here, Duchess." Enigma startled The Captain and Lilica. Habitually they reached for weapons that they neglected to strap. Enigma snickered under her mask, ignoring their harmless threats. "I can bring the Leopardess and Sir Galleth to you. Their team will follow without question. We need only set up the blocks."

"How?" Leona asked eagerly, drooling ravenously.

"Because I know their like and their weaknesses." She lovingly stroked her pendant. The owner of the other half will be broken in a similar fashion. "They will come into your palm like moths to a flame, freeing you to burn them to ashes." And she will stand above them as the light leaves their eyes. _You will know the folly in your choices._

 **xxx**

 _Tick-tock, tick-tock,_ the one sound heard for miles in the quietness of the Cooper hideout. Galleth polishing his sword and cane for a tenth time, Sly flicking at the pointed hook of his cane, Carmelita cleaning her gun...three times over. Bentley jotted notes for a security upgrade on his tablet, Murray fixed new studs beneath the knuckles of his gloves, Alauna changing the chemistry in her fiery bullets. The rest of the ancestors bathed in the quiet, shaping the proper words and debating the proper time to say them to dissipate the tension that was wrought from their previous escapade. _Tick-tock, tick-tock._ The vocal complaints weren't there, but the minds throughout the hideout begged to know why Bentley was playing a ticking clock on his computer. Possibly to add effect to the stifling silence. The tick-tock, tick-tock sounded unnaturally loud in everyone's ears. Most notably were the half glances directed to Bentley and Alauna. Those two pretended to be engrossed in their work, when in fact they've been staring off into space for the past hour. And they are usually the ones to break the awkward silence.

"THAT'S IT! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Sly staked his cane to the wooden floor, marching in the center of the room. All eyes may have been on him, but Bentley and Alauna weren't able to bring themselves to meet his furious gaze. "You two have been in this funk nonstop and it's finally taken its toll on me!" It was subtle at first, but now it was becoming so obvious that it was choking them. "Will one of you please open your mouths and talk to us?!" Sly begged. Alauna closed her eyes, Bentley turning his wheel chair. Neither wanted to speak. They couldn't. They're too ashamed. "Ugh, man…" Sly threw his hands up, giving up there, "You two are really losing your edge."

Sparks ignited in the back of their minds. This inhuman rage boiled their blood. Bentley astonished everyone when he shot out of his chair and flipped a table over. "AND WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW, HUH?! What gives you the right to say that?!" Hearts stopped beating. Eyes fell from their sockets. Bentley has lost his temper before. Never his composure. He was shaking violently, standing in the seat of his wheelchair. "Our every move is being countered by Penelope and we aren't a single step closer to thwarting her!" HE'S not a single step closer in thwarting her. Let's not pass blame where it has no business being. "All of you nearly died tonight because I didn't see the obvious trap coming! And you would have died if Leona didn't have some shred of decency!"

"What she considers a weakness, I assure you." Alauna added drearily, resting her head to the wall.

"Then there's you!" Bentley took over from Sly, too squeezed by the grip of his adrenaline to stop. Alauna impassively admitted in her mind that she likes this side of him. "Why are you acting like this?! Strutting around like a ravenous beast! Speaking with a voice I don't even recognize!" _You recognize it, Love. It's mine._ She replied in her mind, not wanting to frighten him. "You keep talking about death, pain, and suffering as if they are your best friends now! Why?!" He demanded an answer. Alauna glided her eyes to the side, infuriating him to no end. Murray, Galleth, and Carmelita remained silent of what other words spilled from Alauna's mouth. How she would gladly kill Leona's daughters to end the cycle of leopards. Murray knows Alauna isn't suicidal. She would never take her own life. As for Carmelita...Alauna learned something damning about herself. And every second she learns how not so different from them she is. As damaged as she is...she may very well carry out her promise.

Slytunkhamen clapped his hands, dispersing the pent up anger tainting the room. He practically stunned them. "Before we go further with this riveting discussion, there's a Duchess we must see to." Eyes batted with an embarrassed recollection. They were planning a means to defeat the Duchess and put an end to her schemes. That's before they started fighting amongst themselves. "She is dealing in a spice that will render the minds of hundreds into that of beats. An achievement that will be hers whilst we argument amongst ourselves." He knelt to the discouraged Bentley, resting a strong palm on his shoulder. "We've done something different this time. We've thrown down the gauntlet with our unwitting host. She will retaliate, just as everyone else has anticipated us and retaliated." Nothing will be different.

"Slytunkhamen is right." Salim praised. "We know Leona and her daughters will come. They know we intend to stop their schemes. What they don't know is by what means." That is their only advantage, as it has been.

"Fair point." Bentley mumbled. He groaned irately, pressing knuckles to the sides of his head. He needs to pull his head out of his shell and see the big picture. Penelope knows they are jumping through time. If she knew it was only certain ages at a time to conserve power she would have struck harder than now. For now she's taking their interference as the Famed Cooper Gang Luck. Those she's recruited will warn every ally they acquire of their inevitable arrival and will forge a plan to stop them. And then take a piece of Cooper Knowlegde with her. She and those she works with know they are coming, know they plan to stop them, and know they won't give up. Always looking in the shadows or for that one person in the crowd trying desperately to not be noticed. And that there...is the key to their victory. "I think I have a plan. Nothing complicated, nothing daring or risky…" He announced with a revitalized light. He brightened the room on the spot. He has a plan. "Yet it will require each of us to expose ourselves and become part of this society." That is where seriousness fell to utter shock. Everyone looked at him like he was mad.

"You don't mean…" Carmelita shakily muttered.

"Oh I think he does!" Murray animatedly cracked his knuckles, smiling hungrily.

Alauna cackled eagerly, sneaking behind Bentley and wrapping her arms around him. Like a switch constantly stuck in the doward slot, Alauna lit up. It's been awhile since she's been to a decent carnival, festival, or any party with her best friends. She's nearly forgotten what it means to have fun while with them because she's been so engrossed in this pity party of family blood. "Are we going to the festival, Bentley?" She cooed excitedly.

"Yep we are!" Bentley took her by the hand, skipping off his chair to a table and leading her into a spin. The ancestors applauded their grace, and oohed at his masterful dip. "And we're going to party!"

 **xxx**

A dozen blind mice with the skills of apothecaries meticulously took pinches of an infamously maroon colored powder and sprinkled it into a basin of honey. Rosemary flakes floated in the honey, drawn to the hypnotizing spice. The honey was stored slowly with large sticks. Thick globs escaped out of the bottom of the basins, flowing ever so slowly through aqueducts into liquidated wheat. Distilled and brewed to perfection, the concoction was then pooled into a secondary container.

Penelope worked the makeshift assembly line of glass bottles. Miniature funnels affixed to the heads, the brewed vat filled the bottles to rim and was corked. She chuckled to herself about The genius of this plan. In the modern age, customers will simply turn their noses up at bottled beverages. But here in medieval England they'll eat it up like hot cakes.

"Is it ready yet?" Leona casually inquired. Her entry wrinkled Penelope's brow.

"Almost." The dormouse replied. Leona hid her smirk at her jaded response. "The spice has to be used sparingly or else we'll fall short."

"You need not worry about supply." Arpeggio reassured his favorite paramour. "Contessa assures me that we have enough to poison half of London." A notion that terrifies him. That is his home, after all.

"It's not the supply that worries me." Penelope left the lever to another mouse. She showed Arpeggio the specks for this master plan. There's one slight hiccup. "The key to activating the spice's effect is hypnosis. In your case, hypnotic lights." Arpeggio vaguely remembers. The resurrection through plucking him from a pocket in time sews thin threads of his memories into place. He wished to use the northern lights and cast them across the Paris Sky to send the residents into a hypnotic fit of rage. That was the plan before Neyla and Cooper thwarted him. The former as merciless as she is devious. "The people here may accept cyber wolves, but a giant blimp making lights might send them running." And not the running they want.

"Precisely why we have an abundance of Merlin's Powder, Fire Bulbs," Arpeggio upgraded the artificial leggings with a set of arms. In each he had a box for the jars of powder, and the spherical glass fire bulbs. The table shook under their being dropped to the table so carelessly. He needs to fix these blasted arms that were previously wings. There was one more box. "And gallons of artificial coloring to transfix the masses." He managed to gently set a third box onto the table, filled with vials of every color known in this era and his own. Now, Arpeggio is drooling at being able to be alive for this successor to his original plan to come to fruition. But he has never been one so engrossed in his own victories to notice that his proteges, particularly ones that share mannerisms to his Alauna, are debating vocalizing their burdens. The uncertainty in her eyes, her head turned at their slight to avert from what is transpiring, the tendrils of reluctance coiling her figure, the retreating half steps beckoning to the door. _She truly is Alauna's ancestor._ "Having second thoughts, My Dear?"

Leona was startled from her thoughts. She cleared her throat, whipping her head to clear hairs from her wavering brow. "Not at all." She croaked. She folded her hands, hiding their shaking. "I'm merely...wrapping my head around the wonders technology will have long after I have departed this mortal plane." A white lie. She is amazed by what tomorrow's science is capable of. But what occupies her thoughts is, ' _I can see it in your eyes! You don't want to do this!_ ' Those words constantly circle the back of her mind. Pierced her like a dagger. The conviction in her as she declared such a foolish thing shook her. Claiming she didn't want this for her children. To know everlasting fear...hatred...and despair. The most ironic and hilarious of facts now...is Alauna was correct. In a way.

Arpeggio partially lidded his eyes to what she wears and tries desperately to hide. "My former student appealed to your humanity, didn't she?"

"I have no humanity."

"Do you realize how alike you sound?" He chortled adoringly.

"Stop patronizing me!" She roared, eyes narrowing to slights. "I want these people to suffer as I have suffered, and the way to do that is to turn them into the monster they made me into!" He roars silenced the work, and locked Penelope and Arpeggio to her. "My parents and my husband paid for their assaults to me! And now these people shall know it." Leona stormed off, slamming the heavy wood and metal door behind her. The mice returned to their work.

Penelope found that bit of theatre entertaining in a sense. Now it's time for real work again. Arpeggio hummed pensively, strutting to the nearest window to gaze out the glow emanating from the celebrating masses in the town. "What are you thinking?" Penelope asked him.

Arpeggio breathed exasperated, closing his eyes with disappointment. "That this Duchess needs to be in her room for the remainder of our stay."

 **xxx**

The fifth day of the carnival is, in its own sense, five times rowdier and livelier than the previous days. Sort of like the rising action to a long novel. The introduction mild and tempered with moderate humor, teasing the attendees with promises of the adventure to come. The days turned like the pages, chapters coming and going with the downing of varieties of food and drink slipping down the throat. The shows, the games, and the laughter taking the person to another plane of reality to escape their mundane lives. And as the conclusion to this tale nears its end the adventure doesn't slow. Instead it intensifies and climbs to new heights, enthralling the masses to continue and take it all in until the end. Never tiring, and never losing interest. This carnival is one that England will sing of for generations.

The Cooper Gang, Ancestors, Carmelita, and Alauna dressed accordingly to the era and dove into the festivities, splitting off into groups. Sly and Carmelita found this to be an opportune time to rekindle their faulty relationship with a date. A very long overdo date. They were lord and lady arm in arm, laughing exuberantly as they weaved through the crowd with tankards of mead spilling every other step. They fed one another, placed tacky trinkets upon their heads and around their necks, and joined in on the couple's games. Dancing through rings, skipping after stones in squares, and tossing rings to bottles. A part of a plan though it was, Carmelita and Sly fell in love with one another all over again.

Alauna was paired with Slytunkhamen, Bentley, and Bob. Because of his muscular physique, Bob posed nicely as an Irishman. Her certainly had the appetite of one. And he had the tolerance for barrels of ale. A feat he'll come to regret the next morning. Alauna's record was beaten. With his archaeologist hat, Bentley was able to walk amongst the others like a visitor from another land lavishing in the culture of another land. He'd normally be enjoying himself considering his plan is going smoothly thus far. But the nauseating couple with him was taking away his appetite for the outing. Slytunkhamen was delighted to pose as Alauna's date for the evening. She wasn't complaining. But there was this chill scaling her spine that seemed to dissipate whenever Bentley was caught twisting away an envious glare.

Murray, Galleth, and Salim wandered about like curators to a museum. A scrupulous eye scrutinizing the meats and foods on sticks, the abundance of colorful desserts, the tanginess of fruits fresh from the gardens and orchards cut into fours, and the different ales that poured from barrels. Murray had to resist devouring everything in sight. Good thing Galleth and Salim were of stronger constitution. Salim...just barely. He did steal a child's bowl of dates and replace it with chocolate covered chestnuts. Partaking in menial bounties provided by the merchant stands, the trio was picking at tiny specks of the food and flicking them into their mouths with an analytical hum. They motion hands or bob their heads in approval or disapproval, taunting the merchants with promises of grandeur. It was too easy to fool those who want to make a name for themselves. They almost felt guilty. But not guilty enough.

As much fun as everyone was having - more fun than they've had in a long time - the eyes they've mounted on the backs of their heads watched for Leopards, Mice, Parrots, and other machinations of their enemies.

"I am bewildered." Galleth spoke over the coms. "How is engaging in the festival supposed to bring us victory?" He sipped a half filled mug of ale.

 **xxx**

"These past few rescues have taught me something." Bentley turned from the ale. Not to his liking. This is where he appreciates Alauna. She brought him a platter of exotic fruits. He loves fruit. "Our enemies expect stealth, surprise attacks, and recon. But what I've learned from everyone here is that expecting the unexpected isn't a predictable circumstance."

 **xxx**

"I get it." Carmelita bit into a tart. "Penelope expects us to sneak our way in and sabotage her. Disguises, tricks, charades - trying hard to not be seen." Which only makes them more visible. "And from what I remember she hasn't really been around you guys when you aren't in disguises."

 **xxx**

"Precisely." Salim was pleased by the foresight of the younger generation. "The greatest disguise is immersing yourself in the group, and people are more inclined to talk while having fun." To prove it, Salim threw himself to a drunken bard, singing their off key song and learning that one man loves biting off insect heads. Something he'll try to forget. "We can't learn what we want to know by sneaking around anymore. If we plan to stop the spice from entering people, we need to first learn how it's going to be distributed."

 **xxx**

Alauna picked up a cabob, studying cautiously. "Murray, do you recall how the spice tastes?" She sniffed the cabob, almost scared she'll walk into this.

 **xxx**

"Yeah...uhh...hold on…" It's been a few years. "It was on prison food, so I don't know how helpful this will be." Murray dug a knuckle to his temple, uprooting the taste. It never left his tastebuds. "It tastes dry at first. Sort of like eating cinnamon. Then this peppery sweet taste fills your mouth, and the tanginess of the food juices mix in as you swallow it."

 **xxx**

Slytunkhamen held his growling stomach. "I am suddenly starving." And after just eating plates of brisket, potatoes, and corn.

"Bob just ate a cart of pastrami." Alauna announced in awe. Bob literally ate the whole cart. Bentley worked out paying the merchant back.

 **xxx**

"Alright," Sly brought every back on track. Though he was starving again himself, "We know what it tastes like. But what does it look like?"

 **xxx**

"That's the rub. This spice has many forms." Alauna added the one set of bad news. In a way that's the good news. "And we have to assume the texture has been changed." This plan with the spice was taking her back a few years. She knows it well. Penelope is bringing Arpeggio's old ruining plan back to life. _Arpeggio!_ The name pounced her like a predator. _He...he's a parrot!_ Horrific disbelief gripped her. _It can't be...it's impossible._ Then again...so should Neyla be.

 **xxx**

"Then we go in blind." Carmelita declared as their sand drawn line.

 **xxx**

"When have we not?" Slytunkhamen joked.

 **xxx**

"YEAH!" Murray startled the crowd, drawing Salim and Galleth into a brow hug. "LET'S PARTY!"

And party they did. For the first time in their illustrious careers, going in blind had a perk or two. The thieves, police woman, and hunter were having the time of their lives. How many job have they been on where either can say they've been able to relax, be merry, and take in the ambiance of...wherever their jobs take them? With a straight face? None. It's been so long since they've been able to take it easy. While they can they were going to live it up to the fullest.

 **xxx**

Murray shamed competitors in the pie eating contest. The contestants lost their appetites after he ate, literally, the WHOLE PLATE! Asking for more after 20 ended with buckets filled with vomit. Then, in the blink of an eye, Salim and Bob came from out of the blue and decimated his record. But he refused to give up. He won't lose to ancient fossils without a fight. The trio demanded the ref bring another round of pies, all the toppings needed. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pecan, pistachios, dates - The pies were ready. Round five was called. Murray, Bob, and Salim inhaled the pies in a whole. Murray stuck the plate in and pulled it out shiny and clean as if from the wash. Claim shoveled pie by the handful, slurping up whatever got stuck in his facial hair. Bob slammed a fist and flipped pies straight down his throat. Every burp freed his stomach up for more room. By the end of the contest, Murray was crestfallen holding the slot for third. Salim came in second. Leaving Bob as number one, complete with the fawning women.

 **xxx**

Sly and Carmelita dazzled crowds with their exotic, and forbidden, tango from Puerto Rico. Carmelita with a fully bloomed hibiscus in her hair, Sly clutching a rose in his mouth, the pair were joined hip by hip, eye to eye, in a dazzling spin looping the dance floor. The crowd was mesmerized. They were gliding on thin strip of air, smoothly parting to dance side to side with their palms touching. Sly then stopped and led Carmelita around him by the hand, twirling her and falling in love with how the moon glistened off her hair. Carmelita's dress fluttered open like a flower. Her cheeks reddened two shades each time Sly's face came in view from her spins. She was dipped and the flipped, taking the crowd by a pleasing shock and awe, and then hooked her leg to Sly's waist as he pulled her back in. They stood an inch apart. Sly folded a hand at his back and stomach, Carmelita lifting the front of her dress slightly. Back and forth their feet moved, their bodies moving as one. Their feet coated in tandem to the other, never losing the beat. But the beat was sure losing them. The band was losing the pace. The band in India was better at this.

 **xxx**

Slytunkhamen and Galleth dazzled the crowd in a new way. As Coopers, tight rope walks were simplicity equal to breathing. Their swordplay isn't half bad either. So they thought why not do both. Not as inconspicuous as they would like, but how often can one say they've challenged an ancestor/descendant to a duel. They may never get the chance. Six 15 foot long ropes were stretched to their snapping point 10 feet above molten coals. Slytunkhamen and Galleth stood on the posts smirking as they felt the heat of battle, and the stirred coals, back their flesh. The Cooper lust for combat was strong. Blacksmiths stirred the patch, intensifying the heat. The bell was sounded. Galleth drew his sword and Slytunkhamen drew twin daggers he kept hidden. The canes would have been dead giveaways. Galleth's fencing and Slytunkhamen's tahtib style proved formidable. One relying as agility and lower center of gravity, while the other deflects blows with a strong stance and rapid reflexes. Hitches of breath came with the sword grazing barely a hair from snapping the ropes. Slytunkhamen side flipped rope to rope, Galleth never losing track of him. He counter his ancestor by side stepping in a dance to trip him up, striking for the killing blow. So to speak. A handful from the crowd closed their eyes whenever either seemed to lose their balance. Bets were being passed and relied on one falling. They'd be in for a long duel.

 **xxx**

Alauna and Bentley enjoyed the time in the one way they knew how. Proving their intellectual superiority. That involved downing shots. The game is to be asked a trivia question about Europe, and if the answer is correct a ring is tossed to a number and the opponent has to down that many shots. Believe it or not this drew people from around to see. Especially when the missed toss means an automatic three shots. Bentley and Alauna didn't sweat a drop. Between the two of them they had these suckers inebriated in the first two tosses. Wales, Britain, Scotland, France. Rulers, common folk, jaunts between borders. Bentley and Alauna took turns answering questions and tossing rings. A perfect score between the two and their fourth gaggle of partners was down for the count. They'd show mercy and miss a question or two, succeeding beautifully in irritating their opponents. In the end the result was the same. Bentley and Alauna won - in sobriety and knowledge - and a very brief brawl exploded. Alauna tied those who threw mugs at them to a tree, some off a cliff, while Bentley dusted his hands of them. Chair or not, he's still got it.

 **xxx**

With the approach of dawn the festival's fifth day was drawing to a close. The Cooper Gang, the ancestors, Carmelita, and Alauna, though in far better mental and physical states than most, were losing steam fast. This is the most they've been exhausted on a job. Could they really call it that after all this fun?

"Okay," Salim moaned hoarsely, throwing down a cleaned bone. He leaned in his chair, holding the Buddha Belly he grew, "After my fifth boar leg - _BUURRP_ \- I've officially declared this a bust." He fell backwards, caught by a laughing Galleth.

"I've got nothing over here too." Murray tediously devoured a turkey leg. Food was losing its charm - god forbid - without the spice they want showing up. "Nothing served here fits what we're looking for." Bob was unconscious upside down at a wall. Others used him as a pillow.

 **xxx**

"Same here." Sly announced, he and Carmelita sitting under a tree. "Not one thing we've eaten has a hint of that spice."

 **xxx**

"Bentley and myself are left with nothing to report as well." Slytunkhamen regretted to state.

" _What about Alauna?"_

"Hold that thought a tick." Bentley chuckled. "She's about to put the last Irishman to shame." Uniform uh-oh's came from the Sly and Murray. Carmelita and the ancestors were lost by what that meant.

A small table no longer than a child and the tenth mug of the Beamish Family's Irish Ale is what stood between a wobbling, steadily blackening out Irish Hare and a Smiling, unhindered Alauna. The hare's friends kept on with encouraging words and pats on the back. Cheering that he can still win. The hare was barely able to keep his head from smashing to the table. Eyes fluttering from closed to open. His pupils dilating in his wavering consciousness. He wasn't able to lift his mug from the table. It might as well have weighed like an anvil. All that kept him awake was the humiliating fact that Alauna wasn't even bothered. She sat across from him, legs folded and a hand in her lap, humming a sweet, mocking tune as she swirled her ale. Her hair covered half her face. The shadow of victory creeping to her smirking brow. She seductively licked bottom to brim of the mug, lapping her tongue in the dry, bitter concoction, daring that hare to take the final plunge and either chant in victory or pass out in a stupor. The hare felt what he consumed climb to his throat. Tanya took a breath and downed the whole mug and his, making his jaw drop. The cool liquid running down her neck, spilling to the sides of her mouth. She slurped up the last bit of foam, meandering to the hare's side of the table, and she slammed the mugs down hard, leaning in with a daunting smirk that had him leaning back. She dared him to retaliate in any way possible. A punch, a drink, vomiting in her face - she doesn't care. The hare was shaking uncontrollably, drowning in those magenta orbs. Alauna breathed musty breath in his nose, and that was it. He turned green, and ran to the nearest bin to empty his stomach. Cheers on her side erupted with hats thrown to the air. The others either dropped in rage or handed over money.

"And that, gents," Alauna boasted with her Irish accent fluxuating, "Is how you properly keep the mead." She winked and strutted off with Bentley and Slytunkhamen on her hip. A facade as Bentley knew it would be. He, Murray, and Sly wanted everyone to count down from three, and then heard the melodious sounds of her hurling. A good thing they were far enough away. "GAH! BAH! HRM…" She dry heaved, her hair held back by Slytunkhamen. "And...for all that...I've got nothing, Sly. I don't think she's released the spice yet." She clamped her mouth closed, going green again.

 **xxx**

Sly exhaled somberly. "Well the festival is almost over. Let's meet back at the hideout." Carmelita was out cold, cute tresses of hair drapped to her brow. He smiled adoringly. Somehow she's more beautiful than ever like this. He carefully took her in his arms like a bride and walked back. Carmelita snuck an eye open, grinning with pink cheek at this win.

 **xxx**

"On our...WAY!" Murray was left dragging Salim and Bob. Three tons between the two of them.

 **xxx**

Alauna was done vomiting, feeling ten times better. Bentley handed her a much needed pale of water. She downed half and poured the rest to her head. She was going to feel this in the morning. "Feeling better?" Bentley teased. She growled at his cheap joke. "Ha-ha. Come on. We've got another plan to make." He pat her on the back, helping her bring up what was left.

"Coming…" She choked. Bentley headed off first. Slytunkhamen supported her, laughing as she stumbled like an infant. "Enjoy this while you can…" She moaned with a weak smile. "I will be right as rain tomorrow."

"I know you will." He said softly. "You're remarkable at comebacks." She blushed madly, pouting to the ground. _Damn Cooper charm._ Alauna swallowed the remaining nausea, wanting to stop entertaining the Egyptian Cooper. She has to admit, though, she appreciates the faith. And he's right. Alauna does bounce right back. From hangovers to personal issues. Once the night slash morning is gone this whole ancestry thing will blow over. Or so she was confident.

As the drunken crowd parted, Bentley's every fiber resisted the overwhelming urge to clean the littered streets. Slytunkhamen and Alauna had to carry him kicking by the arms. They laughed at his rabid demands to be put down. Slytunkhamen admired how feisty the small turtle is. And his threats of bodily harm were quite amusing. Alauna found him adorable. Not that she'd mind too much if Bentley's hands were on her. _Huh?_ She frightened herself, turning red at such a thought. Before she had a chance to question her tomfoolery, a figure ghosting through the crowd stopped her in her tracks. Piercing green eyes shredding her insides to tatters. She snapped her head for the figure. Eyes wide and shaking as she scoured the bobbing crowd for the figure. They vanished without a trace. Maybe it was no one. It could have been any one of the drunken people wandering the streets. Alauna didn't give up. She knows what she saw. This wasn't someone drunk and clad in a cloak. This was…

"Neyla…" She whispered shakily. There at the edge of the street, standing directly in the center, was the elusive assassin called Enigma. Who Alauna fears to be Neyla Kapuur.

 **To be continued.**

 **Ok. Change of plans. This will be the last chapter for a while. I need to work on things. The next Cooper after Galleth will be Rioichi, then Henrietta. Take a guess as to who the present day baddies will be there? ;)**


	29. The Past Never Stays Dead

**The Past Never Stays Dead**

 **Oh my gosh...I'm back from the dead!**

 **xxx**

Happy day was it for the future ruling house of England. The Royal Family was whole once more. Rosalia, Tulia, and Lilica are reunited, together again against the odds of the spirits taking the youngest to the realm beyond. The three Leopardess Sisters of England didn't care about appearances. If compassion for your kin is a sign of weakness, then they will gladly wear it as their coat of arms. Rosalia and Tulia smothered Lilica in hugs, kisses, and cheers for her safe return. Although, making fun of her capture was too good an opportunity to pass on. Yes, they mocked her for being so easily overcome by a stranger bearing their likeness. Rendered unconscious with a simple swat to the head, and left tied up in the woods somewhere. It's utterly laughable. They're the elder siblings. Elders have one job. Protect and mock the youngers. Not that she needs to be mad for long. She'll get them back when they least expect it.

Their fun would need to be cut short though. The trio of sisters meandered for Leona's study, wanting to hear her next move in apprehending Sir Galleth and his merry band of thieves. Whether the fools partaking in the festival are aware or not, they are in the midst of a war. Sir Galleth and his treasonous gang of cohorts have declared opposition against their house, and are determined to see them removed from their rightful place as England's Monarchs. The humiliations they have suffered to bring this heinous knights and his affiliates to justice will haunt their family for a lifetime if they do not recapture him. No deals, no mercy, and no taking hostages. He and his friends will suffer and perish at their hands. The second they are found, they are all dead.

The sisters rounded a corner, then were stopped in dismay. The Captain, Ingus, accompanied by three heavily armed guards escorted Leona - IN CHAINS - to her room. Full handed clamps secured her notoriously lethal paws. Hands firmly held to the hilts of still sheathed swords, with the free hands restraining Leona by the upper arms and shoulders. Tulia and Lilica, furious to see their mother in chains like the common filth in the slum, drew gauntlets and short swords, and their silver eyes centered on their prey. Rosalia stopped her reasonably angered sisters and pulled them behind the corner. She bid them silent as her uncanny feline hearing strained to the muffled mutterings, and her keen archer's sight locked to the lips of the elucidating Captain. Her own blood was boiled hotter than her sisters'. From what she gathered, Leona was being detained on suspicions of treason and was asked to remain in her room until further inquiries have been made. She demanded to know who would dare question her fealty to her land, only to be met with shamed lowers of the head and silence. It seemed to be all the answer she needed. Leona may have worn a placid expression, but make no mistake, she was outright furious with this development. Her claws undoubtedly sprouting and retracting, digging grooves at the heavy duty clamps. She will have blood. And it will be the blood of the interloper that dares to overstep his bounds.

Ingus ordered the guards to stay at their posts, and to remain every vigilant. They were kept outside the room out of respect for Leona's privacy. Ingus warned them there and now, their senses must be stretched to the limit. So stretched that they are projecting themselves into the room. Leona is not to be underestimated. He received nods from his men. They would not fail him. Ingus saluted them and moseyed on his way, only to be stopped dead in his track by the distinct silver glow of the three sisters. He held his composure until the corner, breaking into a cold sweat having three of the four most dangerous predators trailing within his shadow. Their glares corrode daggers to dull nubs.

"This should be safe to converse." Ingus stopped in a dark arch, urging the three young women to follow him inside. Lilica stood by him, with Rosalia and Tulia across from them. The shadows obscured them from passersby. The light was clear on the four of them, locking them within their own circle. Of trust or death - the next few seconds were crucial. "I will not insult you three by stating it is not as it looks. Because it is precisely as you witnessed." Their brow simultaneously furrowed. "Duchess Leona Pard is under house arrest. She is to be confined in her room until the danger has past."

"Captain! What is the meaning of this!" Rosalia demanded austerely. Her fingers wriggled for her quiver. An arrowhead meant for his neck should he equivocate longer. "Why are you betraying your future Queen?!"

"This is not by my choice." He grudgingly replied, sensing his leash tightening from several angles. "The parrot and his protege asked this of me." The haughty parrot with the technological marvel he uses to strut about, and that mouse who believes herself everyone's superior.

"Since when do you take orders from them?" Tulia hissed.

"Since they came from a time where they can alter our futures, or erase them!" He barked back, silencing all three women in shock. They lowered their heads dismay. The girl they met. Alauna was her name. She is their descendant. One of them will be part of the line that eventually breeds her. They aren't sure if that is a moment of pride, considering how far their line survives, or if it cause for dread. At least her skills are not dull. Them aside, what would become of their Captain's future should they resist. "I do not trust them, and neither do the three of you. Which is why we must play our cards right, lest we invite your mother's doom."

"This cannot be how we are to be shackled!" Lilica begged. "There must be a way to remove this bird!"

"There might be." Ingus reassured them, whispering pensively into his hand. The sisters ogled him hopefully, pleading that he is not toying with their fragile feelings. Before he was released, Ingus was blackmailed by the wretched descendant to keep her informed of the goings on in the castle. What he saw as a key to his demise might actually be his key to an extended life. Ingus was reluctant to even consider - REMOTELY - having this woman in his back pocket. But, just like when he acquiesced to her, he may not have any other alternatives. "There is someone I am in contact with. Demands that I keep them informed of Leona's plans." Shockingly, the sisters were not alarmed by his confession. Seeing as their mother is now a victim, Ingus can report on the parrot and mouse. And they have a good feeling who wants this information. "But I ask that we delay speaking with them until we have full grasp of what is happening."

The sister exchanged debates in silence. An enemy from both within and outside the castle who has corrupted the infallible Captain in doing their dirty work. One who dares to overthrow their mother and treat her like a common criminal. For now, insulting her by locking her in her room. The other merely demanding to know Leona's every move every second of every day. Neither assailant is preferable, but the one who hasn't overstepped her bounds is the one who displays a certain honor. A unanimous decision was shared with confirming nods.

"Okay. We trust you." Lilica confirmed. Ingus could only bow in thanks. He has no room to be asking for their trust, but he greatly appreciates it. Once Tulia and Rosalia dismissed themselves, Lilica waited for them to vanish around the corner, then threw herself into her Captain's arms, sobbing heavily into his muscular chest. "Please, Ingus, do not fail our mother. Fail me." She begged him. This cannot be their legacy. They cannot be reduced to nothing when they almost have everything.

"Never, beloved." He kissed the top of her head. "Never…"

 **xxx**

Night five of the carnival came and went with the very inebriated, wobbling crowd. The moon was still visible, but was gradually fading with the approaching dawn. Most of them decided their beds were too far and made beds out of whatever was on the ground. Don't ask. You don't want to know what it was they were sleeping on. Guards and a cleaning crew chased off enough people that they were able to clean up. Night six was just hours away. The carnival ground must be presentable...and ready to be trashed even worse than the previous night.

The world around Alauna seemed to fade out into a blur. All sounds nothing but incoherent mumbles. Her whole body and mind left the mortal coil, wandering an abyssal road, transfixed by the figure that stood at the end of the lane and then vanished without a trace. "Neyla…?"

"Alauna?! Earth to Alauna!" Bentley voice yanked her back to earth. Her head darted around, finally landing on the diminutive turtle in her arms. She forgot she was still holding him. "There you are! You can put me down now." He urged, pointing to the sweet ground.

"S-Sorry." Alauna apologized with a meek laugh, setting him down. She dusted him off, sure she got fur on him. She had to carry him so he wouldn't go on a mad cleaning spree. Makes her wonder how he survived Blood Bath Bay, The Jungles of India, sitting in the van in Haiti, and The Old West. "I guess it goes without saying, there's a lot on my mind." That strange silhouette of Neyla for one. But...there's more. The festival. Yeah, it's part of their operation to stop Leona's spice corruption, but beneath it all...she was...having fun! Fun...when did that feel like a foreign concept. Sure she says she has fun on missions, hunting down her target, and pulling off daredevil maneuvers that lead to a narrow escape. Those are adrenaline rushes. This festival, being with close friends, and family tagging along for the ride, hearing everyone laughing and being merry, enjoying themselves for once instead of running for their lives. It's...it's...to put it simply...nice. "Hm? What's up, Ahmen?"

He was staring dazedly at her. "My apologies." His cheeks flushed bright pink. "It's just I haven't seen a sincere smile on you for quite some time."

Alauna was astonished. She touched her cheeks. Was she smiling? "Huh. How 'bout that? Guess I've been in such a funk that I labeled it as a cheek twitch." This festival had healing properties mixed in with the danger. The irony was so rich it was fattening.

Slytunkhamen gently stepped in, cautious with his boundaries as still technically a stranger. "What brought on this change?" He tried to ease in. He didn't know how else to word it. Or even if she have asked. But he's worried. They all are. "Why are you behaving in such a manner?" Bentley wished to know too. She's scaring him. She's been distant, almost unreadable. And when she approaches the others, there has yet to be a moment where she isn't snapping at them.

Alauna sighed resignedly, wrapping a hand to her elbow. She won't insult them, or herself, by feigning ignorance. She knows she's been acting differently. She can't help it. "Have you ever looked in a mirror and not have the slightest clue who was staring back?" She meandered to a water trough. The bobbing reflection mirrored her melancholy, but the face isn't one to which she can relate. No matter how many times she looked, or how long she matched the stare, the reflection was nothing. Nothing more than a stranger sharing her woes staring back. "All I've ever known is that I come from a long line of hunters. That's all anyone would tell me. And now I know why." She rasped despondently, planting her hands to the trough as she hung in shame. Loose hairs draped to her brow, wiry and unruly. Just like her. "It is a difficult thing to accept. Your entire Family is a lineage of Killers and Hunters for nothing more than sport. They are depraved. They are ruthless. They are animals." She stared at her palm. The blood that has stained them these past few years spilled over. The screams of hundreds in her ears. "And once our prey is in our sights...we do not let them escape."

"But not you." Alauna was stricken by a pang of bliss. Also disbelief. Turning around, she was met by Bentley placing a hand to the small of her back. "Animals are driven by an instinct and a lust for blood that they do not bother to resist. You are nothing like that!" He stressed from his heart. He's known Alauna for years. This he would swear to the world. "If you were, you would have killed Ahlii Parda, Leona and her daughters, and that captain without blinking. Instead you restrained your dark desires, and continue to be the softy I know you as." Alauna pouted her lips, turning to hide her pink blush. Slytunkhamen could not resist laughing. She was cute when she was embarrassed, and Bentley is a devious mastermind. "You appealed to a woman's love she thought she doesn't have. You are nothing like your ancestors thus far. You are better." He promised her.

"Bentley…" Her eyes glossed. This intense warmth blossomed in her chest to her stomach, filling her with such glee she started to giggle. She couldn't help it. With a speech like that, she kissed him on the cheek. Hot steam exploded from his cherry red ears. His worker's hat flipping like a coin. Slytunkhamen merely standing there grinning like a cat. "Thank you, my little Brain-Ley." She cooed.

"Aww. You said you wouldn't call me that anymore!" He whined, hiding in his shell. Brain-Ley is an embarrassed nickname she came up with a long time ago. "It's embarrassing."

"I can't help it." She pulled him into a bear hug, snuggling her flushed cheek to his shell. "You're just so adorable. I can't help embarrassing you." She giggled like a giddy schoolgirl. She isn't lying. Bentley is just adorable.

Slytunkhamen was off to the side, admiring the very lovey dovey spectacle. He smirked to himself. _They make it so obvious it's cringing._ Cringing or not, it is a beautiful sight to behold. A fully self supporting, brilliant turtle with a demolishing and meticulous disposition enamored with and adored by a bounty hunting leopardess with stunning precision and accuracy in both battle and tactics. Both are remarkable in their fields, a perfect complement of brain and brain that do not overstep one another. Bentley's brain working in tandem speed to Alauna's agile acrobatics, and Alauna's guns and sword hitting their mark in sync to Bentley demolishing the barriers. And when they are not in the field or in the throes of danger, they are still showing their compatibility and adoration for each other in their witty banter. He just wishes they would cease their games and get on with it. "Hm?" Slytunkhamen was perturbed when Alauna's fawning stopped on a dime, and her complexion paled to that of a specter. She was staring in his direction, but staring straight past him. He was taken aback by her shaking. Her rippling eyes glossing in abject terror. The sweat coming down her brow. Slytunkhamen swallowed a lump, feeling his back petrifying to cold, his head spinning with what monster lurked behind him. He took a deep breath and spun. "Huh?" No one was there. Well, a handful of people unconscious on the ground. Other than that, nothing that would illicit a reaction Slytunkhamen didn't think possible for someone like Alauna.

Bentley was unnerved by her expression as well. He doesn't see anyone or anything that would make her look like that. "Alauna? You okay?" His words did not reach her.

There, wearing the cloak of darkness of the trees like a silken robe, did a pair of emerald green eyes piercing her like an arrow. Transfixing Alauna in an inescapable beam, melting her from the inside out. _Neyla..._ Her mouth parted to shout. To call to her old friend. A bull whip extending into the light silenced her. The fingers tightening to the hilt professed a strong desire for battle. The whip was angled with Alauna. The sharp force of the challenge pickled her blood. She nodded firmly. The figure submerged within the darkness, disappearing into the dissipating night. "Listen, you two!" She handed Bentley off to the Cooper. "I...actually need to go clear my head for a while longer." She stammered, suckng on her dry lips. She twisted round. Enigma was still there. He arched a brow at her skipping backwards. What truly caught his suspicions were her hands in her pockets. "I'll see you back at the hideout later. Bye!"

"Alauna!" Slytunkhamen called. Bentley stretched a hand in front of him, stopping him from giving chase. His serious scowl sent chills down his spine. Slytunkhamen isn't so easily surprised, but twice now has he seen expressions worn by two of his friends he didn't dream possible. In Bentley's case, he resembled a man who knows he's been lied to by a lover. "Bentley? What is the matter?"

Bentley touched two fingers to his ear com. "Sly...there's trouble." He rumbled ominously.

 **xxx**

Under the cover of the faintly emerging dawn, Alauna whisked through the English Town. Leaping rooftops, passing through alleys, skipping from pole top to pole top. Nerry did she leave a trace of her presence. She was a phantom in the cloak of a fading night. Nothing but the glow of her magenta eyes left to see. Guards monitoring clean up went rigid at unexplainable breezes ghosting by. Women giggling about being naughty for staying out late shrieked, holding their dresses down as the shadows darted past. She lost Neyla in the crowd. He trail, if there ever was one, went cold as the night. Be that as it may, Alauna knew exactly where to go. She didn't need bread crumbs, nor footprint, or scents. Neyla is her own beacon. A creature of habit, no less. Finding her is a simple feat. Just look where the past, present, and future ripple in stagnation. The harbor.

Alauna stepped to the ridge of a portside merchant's home, leaning to her knee in anxiety. The ships docked bobbing side to side, waiting for a purpose to whisk them into the open ocean, never knowing if the tides will claim them or permit them a safe return. Almost poetic for two who waited in a similar station for that day to come. Incidentally, equally foolish to allow others to dictate who they should be. The sea breeze rushing across her cheek reminded her of a gentle brush of fingers. She touched her cheek, snuggling to the sensation, remembering the hand of a close friend that became a lover. One she wishes, had the past not scarred her heart so wretchedly, would have stayed so.

"Neyla…"

On the edge of the docks just past the stone steps, a figure cloaked in black leather sat with their legs swaying above the water. The tips of the boots tickling the surface in brief strokes. Alauna steeled herself, leaping from the roof to the pole top to the street. Casually did she descend to the port. Her hands may sway lackadaisically, but the Enigma should know better. Never is Alauna not ready to draw her weapons. In moments of a stalemate, he who draws first is the victor. Alauna initiated the stalemate stopping a ways from the enigma, well aware that the assassin detected her presence.

"I thought I told you to stay dead." Alauna's hostile ice breaker had Enigma laughing.

"You know better than anyone that I rarely listen." She shook her head. She gazed into the rippling water, able to see a past so far that it may as well never have been.

"To think I still find that to be your most endearing quality." Enigma snorted under her breath. A prickling nostalgia teasing her. Alauna mustered every discipline to maintain her stone expression. The piece within her that relentless carried the torch for Neyla burned like an inferno.

"Remember when we were children in that awful boarding school? Always feeling the wrath of the teachers for our independency?" Enigma - Neyla - began in dreamy nostalgia. "They would turn the students against us merely because we followed The Socratic Method to the letter. Calling our desire to question everything a serious lack of respect for authority. Even when they were blatantly wrong. So they had to find a way to fix that." Alauna folded her arms, stewing silently in her reminiscing. "The teachers, the Deans, and those idiotic superintendents - our names on a list of students that they wish to oppress into absolute submission. And when that did not work they resorted to violence." It wasn't difficult to hear the deranged smile creeping to her lips as she found jubilation in what would leave most paralyzed to recount. Neyla is not speaking, but a scarred shell attempting to fill herself. "It never mattered. All the way to our university years, we endured scoldings, the mockings, the isolations. We were our own people. We wore our individuality like Queens. And any who got in our way were effectively dispatched." In this case she does not mean kill. Merely that she and Alauna played the game that authority loves so dearly better, and weeded out those who would teach the future that being anything but a robot was blasphemous. Enigma rose to her feet, fingers balling into fists. "Always were we masters of our fates. Any who disapproved of our choices we cast aside." She lifted a palm to the moon lit sky, "Those who would seek to control us were eliminated!" She crushed the moon in the palm of her hand. Slowly the hand fell back to her side, her head falling somberly. The only ones we relied on were each other. At least…" She removed her hood, turning to face Alauna in full, "That was before…" Alauna obscured sorrow and mild surprise with an expression of abject revulsion. The leather suit zipper was brought just to the cleavage, showing a scar from where a necklace was ripped from her neck, "You chose the Cooper Gang as your future." Long, dark brown hair unfurled in the cold harbor breeze, feline ears springing to life. Emerald green eyes glossed in sadness absorbing the figure across from them. "And left me in the past." The face of the Bengal Tiger, Neyla Kapur, finally revealed to the world. In the dark recesses of her heart, Alauna wished someone else's face was behind that mask. "I never thought you'd play for the other team, Alauna. I thought you would always be mine." Alauna subconsciously clutched at the pendants hidden beneath her shirt. That broken heart in better shape than her shattering one.

 **xxx**

Bentley and Slytunkhamen tracked Alauna down to the docks. Whoever she was following must be important. She didn't sense their presence a lick. Bentley was in a pickle barrel that she ran past a while ago. Didn't even stop. They watched her walk to the pier from a flight of stairs. Slytunkhamen wordlessly directed Bentley to a rooftop that would suit their needs perfectly. A vantage point from which they can remain obscure, and insurance that they won't miss a beat of what is about to happen at the docks.

When the thieving pair reached the roof, Bentley had to adjust his glasses. His disbelief almost knocked them off. From way up there he already knew who Alauna was meeting with on the narrow strip. He'd be able to pick out that full leather clad ensemble from a line up on a grainy video three miles away. "Enigma…" He growled. Penelope's own little hunter.

"Why would Alauna be meeting with her?" Slytunkhamen whispered. He was paranoid of Alauna keen senses. Rightfully so. "Are these two acquainted?"

"I honestly haven't the faintest idea." Bentley mumbled. But he does know there seems to be an odd tension whenever Enigma and Alauna meet. Sort of reminds her of when Sly and Carmelita get into arguments. The hostility is derived from scorn. Alauna and Enigma's battle back in Arabia was etched into his skull. The pain emanating from the pair was crippling. Betrayal of the worst kind was rife between them. "One thing is certain." Bentley declared, narrowing his glare like a sniper scope. Alauna finished what she had to say, observing Enigma in sorrow as she recounts the past. "These two know each other." As they stand on the pier, words being exchanged as they reminisce, a tapestry only the present pair are privy to was being woven. Bentley put his binocucom to his eyes, then taped his ear com. "Sly, Alauna's with Enigma. I can't make out what they're saying though. But-wait…" Enigma was removing her hood. Bentley nearly fell off the roof. Thank goodness Slytunkhamen was there. "I...I don't believe it…" The face hidden under that mask..."Sly...you'll never believe it!" He squeaked.

 **xxx**

"At this point, pal, I'm tempted to believe in unicorns." He snorted, beating Murray in checkers for the fourth time. Carmelita and the ancestors snickered at Murray's sore loser pouting. The festival would have worn any normal person out, leaving them unconscious. Instead, everyone was wide awake and either eating, playing board games, or reading. "What do ya got for me, Bentley?"

" _It...it…"_ Bentley was choking on his own words. His mind racing so fast it wasn't able to process what his mouth wanted to blurt. _"IT'S NEYLA!"_ The name rang like a requiem nell, slicing the ears of the two Cooper Gang Members and the one interpol agent. They had to have misheard him. There's no way it is possible. _"Enigma is Constable Neyla, you guys!"_ Bentley screamed again. Sly and Murray went stiff as stone, and fell like limp noodles. " _Neyla's alive!"_ Bob, Galleth, and Salim were both confused and frightened by the sudden cold wind filling the hideout. Their three friends seemed lost in a strange state of consciousness. Neither of them spoke. When Bob tried to touch Murray, the hippo and his raccoon friend bolted from the hideout, and were in a mad dash for the docks.

Carmelita lingered momentarily, turning 50 shades of white, and her stomach wrenching in knots. They hadn't misheard. There are no mistakes. "We promise to explain." Her voice barely above a disheartened moan, dampening the spirits of the Cooper Ancestors. "But right now, please, just stay here." She motioned her hands, begging for their absolute trust. Salim and Galleth are naturally suspicious of others. Even friends. And clearly their friends have a dark secret. Carmelita's glossy eyes implored that they not ask. That it was something not even she has yet to come to grips with. Bob spoke for all three, and urged Carmelita after their friends. She nodded thankfully, and dashed after them. She knew this day would come. She just wished it would have waited a while longer.

 **xxx**

The bullwhip in Neyla's hand spoke in volumes she expected this _amicable_ reunion to become hazardous at the drop of a hat. Her soft expression contradicted her anticipation of the worst. The way her emerald eyes glazed over Alauna, drinking every inch of her. The commanding aura wafting from her figure enveloped Neyla. The way she stood unyielding in the midst of the brewing storm. The wind gathering up her hair, black strands whipping before death craving magenta eyes. She was absolutely god-like to Neyla. "It is good to see you, Alauna." She remarked simply.

"It really would be if the circumstances were not as they are." Alauna countered dismally. She reached above her shoulder. The long sword gleamed sliding from its sheath, metal grounding to the mineral stone. A fluid swing and the moon's glow sliced the air thin, resonating with the fury within Alauna's eyes. "Back from the dead and still your soul is tainted to black."

"There is no need for us battle, Alauna." Neyla implored. "That is not why I am here." Her reassurance meaning nothing with her signature bullwhip in her grasp.

"You'll forgive me if your last two attempts to kill me make me doubt you!"

"A misunderstanding!" She would swear so to an alter. Alauna always wondered if god can strike someone with lightning. "I can promise you that my intentions tonight are honest and true." Bentley tapped into Alauna's com, creating a one way transmission so they may speak without her hearing. He connected the ancestors and others, not wanting them to miss a beat of this intriguing reunion. Sly, Murray, and company heard their coms screech from the patch. "I'm here to offer you the chance to be by my side again." She opened a welcoming palm, hoping Alauna would take it.

 **xxx**

"Can someone please fill us in?!" Salim demanded impatiently, a fist slamming to the table. "Why are Alauna and this enemy assassin conversing like old proteges?!"

 **xxx**

"Because they are old proteges." Bentley replied soberly. Slytunkhamen gasped amazed. "In fact...they were lovers in their teen years." This made the Cooper Ancestors blush astonished. Alauna prefers the same gender?! They never would have guessed. Their minds ran rampant with naughty, yet delicious, images of the two. Rosy pink thought clouds converging into one scenario of the two women intertwined with one another in a very...promiscuous position. Alauna being on the top, tiny giggles from Neyla on the bottom, their cheeks hot their like bodies. Needless to say, the Ancestors squealed and smashed their palms to their faces, desperately trying not to go too far. And to stop the nosebleeds. Bentley cleared his throat, commanding they come back to reality. "Anyway, Alauna and Neyla go back to before Alauna even knew we existed. Even when Nyela joined Interpol the two stayed in contact."

"What broke them apart?" Slytunkhamen asked.

"Neyla hated us with a passion. Alauna loved us with all her heart." Bentley said with a shrug, finding no other way to simplify it. Slytunkhamen and the other ancestors understood loud and clear. With Neyla's previous attempts on their lives, the ancestors deduced a rift greater than a chasm forced these two to take up arms against one another.

 **xxx**

"Please, Alauna…" Neyla took another step closer, both of her hands out to welcome her true love back into her bosom, "Come with me."

Alauna was thrown for such a loop by the request. She has a great tolerance for all things inane and idiotic, but this was too much for her to bear. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" She nearly broke everyone's ear drum. Someone of Neyla's intelligence should already have anticipated a quick decline of such an offer. "Why would I ever rejoin you?! I left you for a reason!"

"And now you have a chance to rectify that decision! Realize that you made a mistake in joining them!" She pleaded to the leopardess. Everyone makes mistakes. It's part of what makes them human. So to speak.

"The only MISTAKE I made was leaving your fate to them!" Alauna swept a hand, removing the dust from an age old mistake. "I never should have acquiesced to Bentley's request to end you!"

"What are you talking about?!" She trembled.

"Bentley asked that they be the ones to finish you off so I wouldn't have to...and I permitted it!" Neyla felt a piece of her break. Slytunkhamen gawked at Bentley, who tilted his hat extra low so he would not see his shame. The ancestors at the hideout gaped in utter dismay. Carmelita staggered on her run. The shock ripping her from the mortal plane to the next. She peered ahead to the sprinting thieves, looking for some sort of indicator that Alauna was lying. Their heads were low, their bodies tensing, and Sly was slipping on spire jumps. It wasn't a lie. "When I learned you had sided with Arpeggio I told Bentley and the others that you wouldn't remain loyal! That you'd take the the clockwerk parts for yourself!"

"You...you knew about that?" Neyla quaked. "That he and I were part of the Klaww Gang?!"

"I knew for years! Who do you think the favors were that Sly sought to learn ABOUT the Klaww Gang?!" Alauna stressed. "Arpeggio made me the same offer you had before he stole the parts from Cairo! I turned him down knowing what he planned to do with the parts, and because I knew what they'd do to Sly if Clockwerk returned!" She clutched at her chest, heaving shrilly to control her flaring emotions. Murray and Bentley run came to a halt in a tunnel. Carmelita steadily stopped next to them. She was stunned that they had collapsed to the ground. Not out of exhaustion, but out of guilt. "It was just a matter of putting two and two together when Bentley told me you had Sly, Murray, and Carmelita arrested in India. And when you tried to take the Clockwerk Eyes from Contessa."

"BUT WHY WOULD YOU SIDE TO HAVE ME DESTROYED?!"

"YOU CAN HONESTLY ASK ME THAT?!" Alauna's voice pierced all who listened, a dagger wrenching at their hearts as sadness consumed her. "After what you did?! You had me locked up so I couldn't make it to Prague to help Bentley save them!" Neyla bit her lower lip. _You knew about that too._

 **xxx**

"She did?!" Carmelita cried.

"We were just as shocked as you." Murray mumbled abysmally. "Bentley made numerous calls for her to come help. By the time we escaped, we learned she was locked up in a Netherlands prison." He slouched to the wall, sinking into himself. "What we didn't know until we saw her again was that Neyla arranged it."

 **xxx**

"I don't suppose I can insult your intelligence and declare you have no idea what you're talking about." Neyla less than enthusiastically requested. It would make this easier.

"You were the only one who knew I was after the Netherland's Prime Minister! And you knew Bentley would call for my help!" That was a no if Neyla ever heard one. She should have known this wouldn't be under wraps for very long. Alauna's a genius when it comes to information gathering. It's one of the reasons she was a top student back in their University years. "It was then I decided you had to be dealt with. Jail wouldn't have been enough." Alauna confessed with a heavy heart. "You're so consumed with hatred for the Cooper Gang, I knew what you planned when you started helping Arpeggio gather the parts. That's why I remained idle as they attempted to take you out!"

"You what?!" Tears traced the from the corner of Neyla's eyes.

 **xxx**

Carmelita was taken aback in disbelief. "She really allowed you to kill a close friend?" She gasped. Carmelita was completely in the dark about Neyla and Alauna. Only recently did she learn her old Constable was friends to a criminal. But to think they were lovers, and that they conspired against one another. It's too much to fathom. "Is Alauna that depraved?"

"By that time, Neyla wasn't a friend. She was a traitor." Sly growled, ensnaring Carmelita in a stare that could turn even the Contessa to stone. She's never seen him so furious. She of all people should know Neyla's treachery burned worse than Hellfire. She infiltrated their ranks, built as degree of trust between them, and then stomped them into the mud for her own personal gain. "Alauna was close with her, practically sisters. We were just as shocked as you when she said...she didn't care what happened."

" _Why? Is she so cold?"_ Galleth questioned curtly from the hideout. " _Where does principality remove itself as the shroud of her depravity?_ "

This is where Carmelita can speak on her behalf, already fully aware of the tale's more intimate nuances. "Because Neyla's been attempted to kill Sly, Murray, and Bentley for years. Even before she joined interpol." The two thieves she hid with bobbed their heads slowly. "It's actually because of her hatred for these guys that she joined my Cooper Task Force."

" _That begs a question!_ " Bentley cried. " _How the heck did she make it into Interpol if she's so mentally unstable?_ "

"The Contessa approved her." That explained everything in a nutshell. She was running interpol at the time. The division completely dedicated to bringing down Sly, Murray, Bentley, and whatever cohorts they recruited. "But how does that lead to Alauna asking you guys to kill her."

"She didn't ask. We volunteered." Sly muttered in a despondent drone. Carmelita blinked baffled.

" _Alauna came to me one night, warning me about Neyla."_ Bentley took over. He watched the two women, attempting to hold himself steady in the midst of the flaring verbal lashings. " _Assuring me that no matter how much good Neyla did it was all a cover."_ Neyla marshalled the form of a demon standing right behind her. Black flames wafting fervently from the shoulders, glowing red eyes in the midst of a shadowy body. _"She's a cold blooded killer. Zero self control. Something we came to figure out too late before winding up separated in India."_

 **xxx**

"They volunteered to end you, and I gave no word of protest!" A lie that she would not divulge. Truthfully, Alauna begged Bentley to let her be the one to kill Neyla. She didn't want them to be murderers. They're too good of people for that. Once she threw on the Clockwerk parts, however, there was nothing she could do to stop them. Sly and the guys would make Neyla pay, and save Paris from a hypnotic light show of death. "I raced to Paris, learning that's where Arpeggio's master plan would take place. By the time I reached Paris, I saw the body of Clockwerk crash down...and then heard you…"

Neyla's entire expression slackened to pure sorrow. "You were there?" Neyla doesn't...she doesn't remember that. All she remembers...is the crash.

"Penelope must have saved you before that. Which is why Bentley is walking again." Bentley glanced to his legs. Sly, Murray, and Carmelita felt stupid suddenly. Right after Bentley blew a hole in her mouth, recovering the Hate Chip, Clockwerk's mouth crushed him. Neyla doesn't remember that at all, and yet knows it to be true. "You vowed to haunt Sly, Murray, and Bentley in their sleep, that they would never know peace." This made Neyla chortle. Sounds like something she'd say. "There was only one thing they didn't know, Neyla." Alauna added ominously, her brow furrowing darkly. "And that was that you crawled out the back before they crushed the hate chip and drifted down the canal half dead."

"She what?!" Bentley, Carmelita, Sly, Murray, and Bentley gasped. A plot twist if ever they heard one.

"I...did?" Neyla's heart pounded to the brink of exploding from her chest. Flashes of brief images trapped in a liquid haze bombarded her fracturing mind. ' _The Clockwerk body...her crash...the Cooper Gang...an explosion...water...lot's of water...a figure..._ ' "I...was...I left the body?"

"Yes. You managed to pull yourself free after Bentley's bomb went off in the mouth. Drifting on a piece of wood." Alauna peered to the salt water, her reflection distorting into a gash ridden, bloodied body of Constable Neyla. "Once you came ashore...I was waiting there." Neyla's pleading, marred face looked up at her, beseeching mercy and aid from her best friend. Crazed laughter shaking the hand she reached for salvation with. "You were a mess. A ranting loon no healthier in mind than a rabid animal. Going on and on about killing Sly, sending Murray down an ice block with his van, and turning Bentley into a stew." The three Coopers shivered. In the back of their minds they wanted to close their ears to what will be revealed next. "I pulled you out…brought you to land...accepting that you'd never stop." She reached behind her back, "I embraced you from behind, whispering that everything would be alright. I wished you peace," The ancestors, Cooper Gang, and Carmelita all swallowed massive lumps in their drying throats. The suspense causing the blood to pound in their ears. The climax of the tale about to send them over the edge. Alauna revealed a kunai knife caked in crusted blood, "And then severed the veins in your throat and held you as you bled." Neyla's mind shattered into a purgatory. Her whole body going limp, knees locked in place. Everyone on the opposite ends of the coms just sat in silence. The lack of emotion in Alauna's tone...made their insides turn to jelly. She held out the kunai, wanting Neyla to bask in the sight of her blood. "I felt your life leave my hands. And from there…" She choked up, a lone tear running down her cheek, "From there my own craze ceased."

 **xxx**

"Her craze?" Slytunkhamen's voice cracked. He cleared his throat. The rest of the ancestors were intrigued by this as well. "There is a state of mental break that Alauna would reach and she would go berserk. Killing everyone for a thrill." None of the ancestors bothered to remotely act surprised. A berserk leopard is not unfamiliar to them. This descendant would be no different. "That aside…" Bentley wrapped his arms to his quaking body, "I can't believe Alauna was right there. She killed Neyla…" Bentley felt as if he failed. He didn't want Alauna to ever spill the blood of a dear friend. That's the whole reason he convinced Sly and Murray to go along with his plan.

 **xxx**

"You...you…" Neyla wobbled uncontrollably. She want to collapse and strangle Alauna at the same time. Madness narrowed her gleaming eyes to dots. "YOU BETRAYED ME! AFTER EVERYTHING I'VE DONE FOR YOU! I cultivated that Irish Bruiser of yours!"

"I never forsook what you did for me, and I never will! But I cannot abide by you wanting me to stay as that in order to sate your own misery!" To remain a monster at this witch's side would stain her pride, and the pride of her grandparents. She is not an animal! Not anymore. "And I sure as Hell won't forgive someone who tries to kill those who want me to be more than what my bloodline has proven unwilling to change from!" She shifted into her stance. Her feet spread, with her sword in both hands, raised perpendicular to her head. The razor edge of the blade aligned with her gaze. "I still love you, Neyla! I always will!" She blinked hard, spilling more tears. "But I won't let anyone take Bentley and the others from me! NOT ANYONE!" She charged with her sword out to the side, planks severed as it ran across them. Neyla unleashed her thorny whip, the tip cracking at her feet. Alauna stopped then stomped the tip. Neyla tugged to free it. The thorns embedded in her boot and the wood. Alauna smoothly cut the whip. Neyla tumbled backward, flipping back to her feet in a crouch. Alauna continued her charge, drawing the sword over her opposite shoulder. Neyla hissed at her reflection in the blade. She met Alauna's charge. She flexed her arms. Hidden blades ripped from the both forearms' fabric. The blades clashed shrilly, a wave piercing all ear, deadlocking with sparks raining in every direction. Neyla's boots slid. Her arm was bending, the muscles throbbing under the intense weight pouring against her. She shifted her weight, swinging her second blade. Alauna inched back, stretching the blade to catch the second attack. Neyla used the eased weight and stooped low. She spun and swept a foot, knocking Alauna's feet clean from under her. She saved herself with a palm to the planks. She lashed out with a swift kick of her own. Neyla blocked the kick with a fortified forearm, the contact reverberating the limb numb. She startled Neyla lunged forward and grasping at the arm. A fist connected with her nose, sending the tiger skipping across the dock and inches from an icy bath. Little too late did Alauna notice that her sword was missing from her hand. She growled venomously, clutching a fist as Neyla mockingly waved the long sword and then tossed it into the water. "I'll make you pay for that!"

"I welcome you to-" The last word didn't even leave her lips. A loud _BANG_ echoed. Neyla was a deer in headlights as a searing flash whisked past her head, the glancing heat baking her skin. An explosion behind her took a chunk of stonewall, splashing it to the water. She touched her cheek. Strands of hair caught embers. Her eyes widened. The smoke wafting from Alauna's revolver sending her adrenaline spiking. "Huh...you missed."

"I don't miss." She warned. Neyla should know better. "You were right in assuming they would never kill you twice!" Alauna drew back the hammer. Her eyes possessing the glow of a lustful demon, yet as blank as a void leading to a stagnant eternity. "But I will make this my first and last if you take another step!"

"You would kill me?"

"Neyla…" Alauna turned the dial to 50%. She flared her eyes open, pupils narrowed to slits, "I should have killed you 12 bloody years ago!"

"I WELCOME YOU TO TRY!"

 **xxx**

"This is getting bad!" Bentley clamoured. Sly, Murray, and Carmelita met up with Bentley and Slytunkhamen. The trio saw Neyla, cpativated in ture disbelief. They heard her over the coms, but to see her in the flesh. Suddenly, Bentley being able to walk made oodles of sense. The smoking hole in the stone walls across the harbor. The blistering mark on Neyla's cheek made them wince. "Sly, Murray - Alauna!" Bentley pointed dierly. The pair looked, going pale. Slytunkhamen and Carmelita ogled Bentley nervously. Beads of sweat started to form on their brows seeing abject petrification paling Murray and Sly. Neither of them are able to comprehend the trepidation.

An egg shaped ball of fire launched from the barrel. Neyla dove past the shot, arms spread as she charged. She sliced at Alauna's neck and stomach, throwing her full body into each strike and combining high and low kicks. Alauna dodged each attack, deflecting them with swats and abrasive forearm blocks. One of the blades came for her cheek. With a blank expression, Alauna raised her gun. The barrel ran up the blade, sawed halfway through, knocking it back. She drew her short sword. Neyla thrust her second blade. Alauna weaved to the side, her eyes locked with Neyla's. She clamped a hand to the back of her shoulder. Before she could counter, a cool gleam went through her elbow. Neyla stopped in her tracks. Traces of blood flew into the air. Jaws from the nearby roof slackened. _Thud!_ Neyla's arm hit the deck, blood spilling profusely. She shook numbly, rippling eyes falling to the severed limb. Her throat clenched, her mind blank, the whole world was deafened to her. Then, "AAAAHHHH…" She dropped to her knees, clutching at the severed limb. "HAAAA! YOU...YOU...GYAAHH!" Alauna flicked the blood from her blade, completely impassive and unmoved by her former lover's wailing.

"Oh man…" Sly moaned.

"We've gotta stop her." Murray pleaded.

Carmelita swallowed the lump lodging her voice in her throat, "Is anyone going to fill us in? What's going on that has you so scared?"

"That look in her eye…" Murray trembled. His muscles atrophied instantly in the wake of her ferocity. "We've seen it before...but it's been five years."

"What does it mean?" Slytunkhamen pressed.

"Usually...when Alauna fights...there's a note of joviality." Bentley elucidated. They've witnessed it before. Alauna almost appears to be having fun when she fights. "However, there comes a point in a fight… where Alauna doesn't feel like playing." The sword tip touched Neyla's chest. Pure, unadulterated fear radiated in Neyla's eyes. Intertwined with bloodshot pain. Alauna, on the other hand, was stone cold and expressionless. A predator who has caught her prey, and is waiting for it to succumb to the claws buried in its neck. "She deprives herself of all emotion, chains it up in cages and locks it away deep inside where not even she will be able to harness it. Then, as if she's flicked a switch or blown out a candle," Alauna rammed the hilt butt into her nose, knocking her to the ground, "All the light is brought to darkness, and she goes directly for the kill."

 **xxx**

Neyla choked on the air and her spit, heaving desperately for a clean intake of fresh air. The fingers of her severed hand twitched on a reflex. Blood was coming from her nose. Her head throbbed. Alauna placed her sword at her neck, tilting her head up, wanting to be the last thing Neyla saw before she dies. Anyone else would be terrified. On the brink of emptying their bowels. Neyla was enthralled. In between heavy rasps...she was laughing. "Relentless. Ruthless. Depraved. Callous." She licked up the sweat beading down her rbow. "This...THIS is the Alauna I love! Why does she not remain permanently?" The sword punctured the skin, drawing a thin trickle of blood. "Why do you still side with them?! They know not what and who you are now!"

"They've always known!" Alauna barked.

"Yes, but now they have proof you come from a long line of killers!" Sly, Murray, and Bentley were wounded by the statement. The Ancestors debated where they stood with this knowledge. It is, in a sense, a game changer. "The second they come to accept your bloodlust is hereditary, that you are indeed a Leopard to the core, they will betray and abandon you! JUST LIKE YOUR PARENTS!"

Lightning clashed in Alauna. She nearly vanished in the blink of an eye. Neyla was pried off her knees, her heels half off the dock and her body angled above the water. Alauna had her by the collar, pressing length of sword to her neck. "With one arm, beloved, I sincerely doubt you will be able to tread water for very long." Neyla swallowing brushes neck on blade, drop of sweat cut in half. She held on with her one hand. Alauan grinned crazily, moving the blade to her second arm. Slytunkhamen gaped in horror. _She wouldn't._ "Why don't you and I test it out, SHALL WE!" She raised the sword.

"SHE WOULDN'T DARE!" Carmelita cried. Bentley leapt from the roof, riding poles and awnings to the street. "BENTLEY! WAIT!" She took off after him. Sly, Slytunkhamen, and Murray scrambled to get after them.

Alauna licked her lips hungrily. She was going to savor watching an armless Nyela struggling to keep her head above water. The perfect payback for everything she's done. Bentley activated his adrenaline burst, tearing through the narrow streets. He shoved barrels, collapsed people aside, leaping the hurdles that lay in his path. Faster he told himself. He had to reach her. If she kills Nyela twice...it will devastate her. "SAY HELLO TO MY PARENTS IN HELL!" The sword came down. Neyla closed her eyes.

Bentley threw himself to the seaside wall. "STOP, ALAUNA!"

The sword stopped a hair from the limb. Alauna was ripped from from her mania, her eyes returning to their original state. The voice echoed through her ears, coaxing her attention to divert from Neyla and to the wall beside the dock. Bentley stood to the wall, fresh out of breath and shaking with fright. "Bentley? BENTLEY!" She screamed. Bentley was there? For how long? Ice encased her spine seeing Sly and the others arrive. "What are you guys doing here? How long have you been here?!"

"Would you believe not that long?" Murray winced. Alauna knit her brow. Murray ducked behind Sly. She doesn't believe him.

"Well, well, look who followed you!" Neyla taunted. "They listened to everything, Alauna. Guess they don't trust you after all!"

"I always did despise your wagging tongue!" Alauna snarled, baring her fangs. Forget the arm. She angled her sword to Neyla's mouth. "LET'S REMOVE IT!"

"ALAUNA, NO!" Bentley pleaded.

 _POW!_ A bullet went through Alauna's shoulder, and grazed Neyla's cheek. "GYAH!" Alauna dropped her sword. She staggered away, clutching at the wound. Neyla's feet returned to the dock, confusion racking her brain as she tried to comprehend what just happened. Carmelita drew her pistol on instinct. She scoured for where the shot came from, but saw no one. Bentley drew his dart gun, covering her back. Sly and Slytunkhamen raised their canes. Where did the shot come from? Who fired it? "You…" Alauna frothed at the mouth, madness radiating past her wiry hair. "I WILL KILL YOU!" She vowed in a guttural roar.

"I would not be so hasty, My Dearest Pupil." Alauna turned to stone. The familiar accent flowing into her ears, shooting a tsunami of shivers throughout her back. Her blood ran frigid, rooting her in place. _That voice...it can't be._ Magenta eyes glossing as her mind raced in utter denial of voice. Strange whirring filled the air. Alauna was stone still, unable to make out the sound. Her sole focus remained on the voice. "Your haste might cause me to act boorishly." Heads shot to the air. Sly and Carmelita felt their breath hitch in their throats. Murray and Bentley almost lost their balance. An egg shaped aircraft was descending to the dock. Stainless steel wings spread, balancing the miniature turbines. A portion of the egg was hollow, a cushioned nest for the colorful parrot sitting comfortably inside, wearing a pleased smirk. Bird legs came from hatches at the bottom, touching every so slightly to the wooden dock. Smoke from a hole in the front confirmed where the bullet came from. "And I would so hate to have to shoot you again."

Stiffly did Alauna turn. Her every fiber told her not to look. To finish Neyla and retreat. She didn't want to see. Didn't want to put the man with the voice she had not heard in five years. There, reflecting in her glossy magenta pools, was a monocled parrot. "Professor...Arpeggio?" She quaked.

 **To be continued.**


	30. (Filler) Auto Auction Brawl

**Auto Auction Brawl**

 **Here's a fun chapter to show I haven't let this fic die. Its' also a little filler to show off The Cooper Gang and Alauna's relationship. It won't be super long or dramatic. It's going to be a point to point filler. Cut, clean, to the point, and not a mushy ending. Sorry.**

 **xxx**

The time was, actually, not too long after Sly and Bentley managed to convince Murray to rejoin the team. About a month or so. See, after the Klaww Gang affair, and Clock-La's beak crushing him, Murray blamed himself for Bentley's injury and left the team. Ultimately he met an aboriginal Guru in Australia that saved him from self destruction, and sent him on a path toward peace. Mostly within himself. Sly and Bentley helped him to complete his mission to see _The Black Water Run Pure_ in Venice, and fortified Murray's resolve to put his gloves and mask back on and return as THE MURRAY. But that's all a tale that's been told before. This is a whole other story. One that wasn't really touched on. Murray's lost van.

About a year back, the trail for the missing Clockwerk parts lured the Cooper Gang to a logging operation nestled deep within the snow capped mountains of Canada. Hiding in a battery silo to be lifted onto Arpeggio's blimp, Murray was forced to abandon his one true love. His van. That van was his pride, his joy, his baby. They'd been through Hell and back, bringing souvenirs from the trip, thousands of times. No one was aloud to drive her. Except for Bentley that one time. He did the regular maintenance, never really changing the look, and would shower her with TLC one an hourly basis. One can say he has an unhealthy obsession with the van. Or did. See, being lifted in that silo, Murray watched as a block of ice the van was sitting on carry it away into the distance. Never to be seen again. It broke his heart like no one could imagine. He never really recovered. Seeing vans passing by would break him. Bentley and Sly were the victims of many tear storms. They had to start carrying umbrellas. One day the pair implored their friend to go procure another Van. Make new memories with that one instead of sobbing over the old one. He absolutely refused. No for in heaven or on earth was going to make him betray his baby. Nothing and not NO ONE!

 **(A few protesting hours later in China)**

 **BEIJING INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE EXHIBITION**

One of the biggest exhibitions in the world, showing off the latest and greatest of vehicle models that would bring the world drooling to China's massive corner of the world. The new Audis, Bentleys, BMWs, Jaguars, and Mercedes-Benz were sleek, beautiful, powerful, and smelt of the future. The concept art for their more futuristic models were on display. Bentley seriously needed a bucket for all that drool. Thousands, possibly leading into the millions, of people came from all around. America, Australia, Brazil, you name it. High rollers, shady criminal types, billionaires with nothing else better to do, and the common folk came and flooded the exhibition, wanting a look at - if not a seat in - the new car models. From the 90's to the 2000's, Beijing never disappoints.

Murray was in no way amused by this scene. Not only was he literally dragged kicking and screaming out of the hideout - eventually knocked unconscious by Bentley's sleep darts - he was dressed in one of those stupid school uniforms, along with a dorky straw hat. Don't get him wrong, he loves Chinese attire. They complement his physique perfectly, and is very comfortable to wear. What he's despising is that his refusal to let up his heinous scowl prompted officers to ask why he wasn't in school. Sly pulled off the rugged sport car collector look brilliantly. Black dress coat and dress pants never went out of style. The purple dress shirt he left unbuttoned to just about his collar showed off the _bling_ around his neck. He wore pitch black sunglasses, even had a fake cigarette in his mouth. Thank goodness for that. He hates smoking. A necessary evil to blend in. Bentley had a little more fun with his wardrobe. Adjusting his chair so it would move via remote control, he went with a godfather look. Complete with a cat on his lap. FYI, that's where his chair controller was hidden. His godfather look, however, would have been seen more as pimp considering his suit was purple. Yeah. Bentley forgot what a purple suit meant in most circles. Having a cat was his only defense that he didn't have women waiting for him to snap his fingers. fun trying to explain why he wasn't IN SCHOOL. Can't very well tell them he's in his 20's and pretending to be a student. By the fifth officer, Sly and Bentley were feeling the pressure. They hadn't come up with a good excuse. They just kept escaping into the bathroom or ran to the buffet table. This time they were being surrounded. Beijing takes its education seriously. Given it's a Monday, ad Murray's uniform has the seal for one of their more prestigious schools, they aren't happy.

"Gentlemen, I am afraid you will have to excuse my son." The officers and the surrounded Cooper Gang gawked to the young woman strolling to them in lace up ankle high heels. Her shifting hips shuffled the furls of her mint green to the knee skirt. "See, he's been suspended for...very salacious reason. And it appears his friends helped him escape." The uncomfortably low V-Neck of the mint green top turned the officers and Cooper Gang beat red. She cupped her brown leather wallet-purse to her chest, showing off her golden bracelets, and the white ascot tied off to the side. A majority of her beautiful face was hidden behind large sunglasses and a black hat. "Honestly, you tell a boy he's grounded and he sneaks out nonetheless." She tipped the glasses down, ensnaring the officers with her magenta star. "I don't suppose you can lenient with him." She cooed pleadingly. Her felonious feline strut hypnotized them. Lumps formed in their throats as she pressed herself to the middle officer. "Pretty please." She tickled his ear with his tail.

A few very scandalous minutes later, Murray was off the hook, the Cooper Gang was touring the exhibition, and the young woman had three new phone numbers. "As shameless as ever, eh, Alauna?" Bentley scolded, still red in the face.

"What can I say, Bentley, I love playing the temptress." She winked past her glass, deepening his blush. "Anyway, are we seriously van shopping at the largest exhibition in the world?" She can't hardly believe it. Looking for a mini van at a lucrative auction like this? Might as well go to Kay Jewelers for a plastic rock. "Can't you just go to an auto lot?" She implored Murray. He scoffed and pouted again at her suggestion. Alauna's ears folded down disconcerted by his huffy response. She glanced to Sly and Bentley, worried she said something wrong.

"You'll have to excuse him, Allie." Bentley apologized, shoving Murray in front of a buffet. The magical aroma of the international foods soothed this savage beast. "See, ever since he lost the van in Canada he's been resistant to a change in transportation."

" _Resistant_ is putting it lightly!" Sly showed his mangled, bruised hand. "We had to gator wrestle the guy into the two taxi's and plane ride here!"

"Bloody Hell…" She breathed stunned. And she's heard how out of hand he is when illegal spice is in his system. It made her shudder. "Well, I'm certain overjoyed that you guys called me to help. We haven't spent much time together after…" She swallowed a large lump, "After the whole incident in Paris." That Clockwerk and Klaww Gang affair left very sour tastes in everyone's mouths. Bentley winding up in the wheelchair, Murray going out on his own, Sly grasping that his ancestral enemy was defeated. So much happened during their caper against the Klaww Gang. Alauna can only imagine Sly's face when he saw Clockwerk reassembled. She's beyond happy that monster was put down. And the operator with it. "I've never been more glad that my nightly escapades pulled me from my drama novels."

"Speaking of which," Bentley's inner nag begged to interject, "Why are you in China, Alauna? Last I heard from you, you were in Senegal."

"I was. Even got the little bugger that paid for my round trip." She reached behind and showed them a jar with a mosquito in it. Bentley hid behind Sly in terror. Who knows what unknown disease is kept in that winged menace. "My client is, coincidentally, here at this exhibit."

"Thank you small miracles." Sly playfully retorted. "And thanks for coming." He added softly.

"Of course." She blushed pink, pecking both boys with a kiss. "Anything for you three." She and the boys glanced to the despondent hippo. Their hearts melted at his pitiful state. He was smushing the food to his mouth, not caring if it missed or spilt to his uniform. "Makes you really want to weep for him." Bentley was already blowing his nose. Alauna clapped her hands. "Come, come, Murray. Let's clean you up and get to window shopping." Alauna and Sly positioned themselves under his arms. Their spines snapped forcing him to stand. The food came sliding off his uniform. Bentley's chair came with cleaner and wipes that left him looking like new.

First on their tour were the Jaguars. The models offered didn't rise higher than a gas guzzling, yet very sexy and arousing, sports model. The perfect car for the perfect getaway. Interpol would be left in the dust in one of and Sly had to be pried off before they erupted in ecstasy. The way they were rubbing on the jaguars was starting to furrow some brows. Bentley hog tied them with some rope and dragged them far away. Murray wound up going with them. He wasn't interested. First strike.

Audi and Bentley were a strike out too. Which was amazing before they are the second most desired cars since Chevys. They had SUV models. Murray just blew right past them. None of them spoke out to Murray. Not that he gave them enough of a glance to let them. Seriously! They had all different colors, and the gadgets inside them would free him to make all the modifications he wanted. With Bentley's approval, of course. Can't have Murray crossing wires that turn the car into a bomb. But not. Murray made a full time job out of hating every model of these sporty, hill climbing, hosted by a British guy cars. And he wasn't going to change his mind.

Sly, Bentley, and Alauna weren't about to give up. There was one more Make of car they knew had to impress him. The BMWs. Sure, Volkswagon was across the way. But Murray has expressed he despises Volkswagens. The Emissions thing and all. Bentley personally finds them adorable. Murray didn't care about them, and he sure doesn't care about the Bogus Mountain Wheels car. His own interpretation of the acronym. He doesn't want a BMW. He doesn't want a volkswagen or any of these cars. He wants...his old van.

After walking for a couple hours to no avail, Sly and the others brought Murray to the buffet again to relax him. He seemed overwhelmed. A three course snack was the ticket to calming him down. "Now then, Murray," Alauna walked up beside him, placing a hand to his shoulder, "Which of these lovely vehicles speaks to you?"

"None of them…" He moaned. Alauna and Sly groaned irritated.

"But you didn't even look." Bentley gently scolded.

Murray threw his food at the wall. "Every car here is a PIECE OF JUNK!" Foul hurricane hippo breath stiffened Sly and Alauna's hair in spikes, and left Bentley with a fake cat in his face. The universe stopped on a record scratch, _junk_ echoing from one end to the next. The bumping music was silenced under the horrified gasps coming from the crowd. Murray was revving like his old van. Smog was even sputtering from his nostrils. He looked ready to trample everyone and everything with his arched arms and hunching shoulders. Sly, Bentley, and Alauna felt every eye in that gathering on them. They broke into cold sweats, gulping at the tirade that would erupt in 3...2...1, "Every single one of these vehicles is total trash! They're too flashy," He stamped a boot to a Jaguar. Palm Hiddleston dropped his banana-colada and fainted into Chris Sheepsworth's arms, "Too prissy," He snapped the mirrors off the Bentleys and Audis like they were nothing. The designers of the cars went into cardiac arrest, "And just all around obnoxious!" He punched out a BMW's windshield. Sly, Bentley, and Alauna glanced around anxiously. The crowd was getting uncomfortably close. The familiar cracking of knuckles prompted Sly and Alauna to get their staffs ready. "I appreciate what you guys are trying to do, but none of these cars are what I want! And what I want is my van!" A stamp of his foot sent a vibrating shock throughout the hall. Bentley, Murray, and Alauna were huddled closely, biting their nails. The crowd was now growling. Or was that Murray behind his huffing and puffing? All they knew was things were getting serious. Bentley was pulling out his grenades.

"A van?! Are you serious?!" A haughty Panda man with lady tigers rubbing on him from both sides came up. He swirled his very expensive drink, snickering at Murray with a very rancor and superior leer.

"And in comes the rich bastard with too many opinions." Alauna warned in a whisper.

"He'd better be ready to become a floor rug." Sly stated. Bentley began finding applications to the hideout that would look good with panda.

"Why would anyone in their right minds want a smelly, soccer mom driven, old van when they can have one of these?!" He was of course talking about the nirvana of beautiful vehicles on display. The ambient lightly making them sparkle like gifts from heaven. A holy choir on the stage added some ambiance. "These vehicles speak to the heart of the driver, and bleed the envy of lessers you pass by on the street! They say class." He flourished hands to his lady tigers. "They say style." He posed. The tigers giggled like they were in heat.

"They say you're an obnoxious douche bag with such low self esteem, no sex life, and have nothing else better to do than ride around in an overcompensating toy on wheels and cast your misery onto other people." _LOUD GONG!_ Round over. Murray replied quick, harsh, and fired shots right below the belt. The pandaman went silent with horror. The crowd had hands clamped to the mouths, eyes, and ears, partly wishing they hadn't heard and that Murray would keep going. Bentley, Sly, and Alauna went grey as stone, mouths gaping, and pure white eyes about to fall from their sockets.

"How dare you insult me! Do you know who I am?!" He frothed at the mouth. His coiffed hair going frizzy from his embarrassment.

"Did you bring those bimbos to help you remember?"

"MURRAY!" Sly, Bentley, and Alauna screamed. The lady tigers gawked utterly mortified. Unable to suffer such an insult any further, the two shoved their sugar daddy toward a punch bowl. He fixed his collar, chuckling as he allowed them to handle the trash. "Come on, twigs!" Murray threw the hat away, cracking his knuckles. "I can use you to pick at my horderves."

"God Almighty!" Alauna tossed her hat and glasses. She ran behind Murray and pushed up on his shoulders. The tigeresses gasped taken aback by her splitting legs. Alauna swung herself down and used Murray's broad frame to swing her propelling legs. Her heels struck both arm candies across the cheek. Their daddy scrambled to the side, flinching from the tidal wave of punch splashing at him. He winced at his women buried in the punch. Those gashes would leave unflattering scars. Alauna landed in a stunned Murray's arms like a bride. She glared very cross at him. "And now this evening just became unnecessarily exciting."

Murray raised a confused brow. Then he saw it. The crowd was a lot closer than he noticed. And he's pretty sure he sees nunchucks, kunai-chain blades, and several other weapons not exclusive to the movies. "Uh-oh." Two burly moose snuck up behind him with hammers raised.

Sly hooked one by the neck from behind. The massive hammer dropped and got stuck in the marble floor. Sly evenly distributed his weight to catapult the moose through a Bentley window. The second was nailed in the grundle. He clutched at the sensitive package, dropping to his knees with tears. Sly used the other hammer to swing and launch a two pronged kick right in his snout. A brochure stand broke his fall. And quite possibly his L-4 vertebra. "Uh-oh?!" Sly tossed his jacket aside, leaping in the center with his cane drawn. "I take it you've done this before!"

Actual Jaguars bared their fangs, marching into the circle to cleave the Cooper Gang to tatters. As they got closer to kill Murray, Sly, and Alauna, the group felt this hard tug on their clothing. They glanced back. Several hooks were in the elastic bands of their bands. Fishing line shining in the stage lights was tied to a hook with a thick cable looping a bar...and was tied to a BMW. They swallowed massive lumps. Bentley' stroked a couple keys on his laptop - built into his fake cat - and remotely activated the car. The tires screeched like a getaway car. The jaguars tried to escape. They were pried off the ground and hoisted into very painful super wedgies. Bentley stopped the car to leave them for the entire crowd to see, then joined his friends in the middle of their fray. "You'd think he was a professional!"

While some crept away to either escape or watch the encroaching carnage, the intensely angered mob closed in on the Cooper Gang and Alauna. Outnumbered, fighting impossible odds - normally this would be perfect. Hell, this is only a warm up round for them. This time was exceedingly different. The four had their backs to one another, elbow room becoming increasingly less and less the longer they debated on which thug they crack first. Yeah, they will take a dozen or two down. But the flashing lights outside told them there was a swat team outside just waiting to make high collar arrests. Imagine Carmelita's face hearing Sly was arrested at a car convention. "Gents, can we please call this their favor and go?" Alauna politely pleaded.

"Not a bad idea." Bentley wheezed. "You got a plan?"

"We're in a room full of swanky, rental dressed people." She loaded one of her revolvers, bringing the dial to a miniature two percent. "And every single one of them spent millions on their hair." She aimed for the fire sprinklers.

"I hear ya!" Bentley pulled out an old party favor of his. The dry ice grenade. A handy explosive backed with two tons of dry ice crystals. Originally made for missions where heavily damp weather doesn't always offer the best cover, and isn't friendly to the wheelchair confined. Bentley pressed the button, holding it for a few seconds. "NOW!" He threw it high as he could. Alauna shot two of the sprinklers. The grenade blew right as water came pouring down. Alauna held onto her thieves as a soup thick fog consumed a majority of the hall. The thugs surrounding them jumped them right as the fog swallowed the floor. Punching, kicking, metallic blunt objects striking skulls, and the ever favored cat screech amid the pounding. Yes, it was a vicious fight. Bloodied teeth on the floor. Black eyes that would swollen shut. Knees and feet striking at the stomach and below the belt. Bones breaking, jaws smashing, pile drivers from the tops of cars. A woman was thrown head first into a cake. A man was carried up by a gorilla man to a scaffolding then throw into three other guys. And there was this one pair that was tied together and thrown in the jellyfish tank. Another pair were in the piranha tank next door. It was a grand battle. Brutal, merciless, bloody. The war mongering roars of the combatants as they brutalized one another. No one would be going into work tomorrow.

Unbeknownst to the amped up brawlers, the ones they meant to pummel were watching from on high in the rafters. Not a scratch to be seen on them. "Do you think they even realize we're not down there?" Sly handed popcorn to Murray.

"Nah." The hippo poured the rest of the contents into his mouth. "Not that we're gonna tell 'em." He sncikered.

"It's much more fun to let them figure it out." Alauna agreed. She had stolen a few slices of cake and was not feeling guilty in the least chowing down. "By the by, how long do you think it will be before they figure it out?" She asked Bentley, handing him a slice of lemon meringue cake.

Bentley took a bite of cake, melting in the merengue. "Depends." He pressed his wrist to his mouth. He doesn't want to lose an ounce of his food. "When do the police plan to break in?" Asked and answered. A swarm of cops, and the local security raided the hall, tackling everyone and anyone that so much looked like they wanted to assault someone with the over priced octopus legs. "There you go. I give them by the time their drunken brawl hangovers wear off in the morning." He and Alauna cackled maniacally. They clanged forks and kept on eating. The bit of theatre below made it all the more sweet. "Needless to say, we can't come back to China for a while."

"What would possibly cause you lot to come back here within the next few months?"

"You know us, Allie." Sly snuck in and scooped a piece of cake with his finger. "Trouble calls, we answer." He slurped it up, orgamsing under the bliss of strawberry. "And we reap the rewards that come with it."

"Just make sure I'm not helping save you from prison again."

"No promises." Murray answered stiffly. "Especially if you take me car shopping again." He warned the trio with his empty popcorn bag. He had them shaking in their overpriced shoes. Bentley and Alauna offered him cake as a sorry and a promise. ,urray put on his sternest face, taking the deserts off their hands. "You are forgiven." He tipped the cakes into his large mouth, swallowing them whole. _BURRP!_ "Ahh...best night ever." He dreamily slurped, drawing his pals into a hug. The trio laughed at their simple friend. A couple slices of cake and he was already back to normal. That's good. This will make them think twice before scheduling an intervention.


	31. Hiatus Madness

**Hiatus Madness**

 **Alright, Dearly devoted fans, I have come to a painful decision. As you well know, I work tirelessly to try and bring you great works every month or so. But lately home/work life is interfering with my efficiency and speed. And while working on eight fics at the same time was my choice, I'm realizing I bit off more than I can chew.**

 **SO, here's what's going to happen. For the next few months - want to limit it to three - this fic will be on hiatus. My sole focus will be on my top three fics that are nearing completion. Epic Mickey - Cat and Mouse, Star Wars Rebels - The Rebel Twins, and Sofia the First - My Sister's Teacher. Within ten chapters is my best guess when they will be done. **

**No, I will not be that fanfictioneer who says "Hiatus" and completely leaves the fic to die. Nuh-uh! Will not do it! Instead, for each month that I am gone, I will post a note telling you guys that I am working on a chapter. I even introduce the roughs the I have to show you what I have. Okay? I'm really sorry to do this. But if you guys have been patient this long, I would ask for a little more.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Gradgirl2010**


	32. Shopping with the Ancestors

**Shopping with the Ancestors**

Alauna could hardly believe her eyes. Well, truth be told, it's the fact that she can believe it that she finds it so unbelievable. Like, if she was to seeing a flying flaming squirrel with her own eyes unbelievable. Then again, with what she's seen these past few weeks, that isn't out of the question. Anyway, back to what she finds so unbelievable that she's gobsmacked to silence. With any long trip, provisions and a plan are necessary. The Cooler had a plan down patented - with a significant amount of improvising. An oxymoron when thought about it. And the provisions part, well, there are things to consider when packing for a trip. Ration of food and water, type of clothing, the route taken. The last two are easy enough. The first one isn't when you have a hippo and cave raccoon who can out eat an entire platoon a ravenous shrews. And for those who don't know, Shrews are. Tiny rodents who have to eat constantly due their rapid heartbeats and ridiculously high metabolism. They stop, they die. Back to the food situation...Bob and Murray have been dealt a swift and harsh blow by karma. Stomachaches.

 _BUURRP!_ Murray burped up a pie pan. Bob vomited into his tenth trash can. Salim was going to vomit if he has to pour out another one. Carmelita relieved him. Honestly. She, Bentley, Alauna, and Sly are gone for an hour of recon and lo and behold what they come home to. Sly, Bentley, and Alauna glowered at the pair. Arms folded, hands on hips - the posture didn't make those scowls less scary. "In a way, you morons deserve this!" Alauna snarled. Murray and Bob groaned sickly in a very apologetic response.

"Seriously, guys, what possessed you to eat all our food?" Bentley prodded his skull and tossed his hands out. He needs to understand, and prevent his mind from blowing up twice. "Tell us!"

Murray's trembling arm rose, a finger erected for his to state his point. "Eating...contest...champion belt!" And he passed out again. He was talking about the wrestling belt that Bob was wearing currently. The cave raccoon was very proud of himself. They assumed so with that drunken laugh. Or it could be a sugar rush laugh. Most of the food was Murray sweet stash that he cryogenically froze when Bentley wasn't looking. Don't ask why Bentley has cryogenic equipment, he will never tell.

"Isn't that the belt you won in Singapore from the questionable foods contest?" Sly winced.

"The same." Murray moaned, mourning the loss of his undefeated streak. For years he's been the heavyweight champ of all gastronomically inclined contests, leaving all who walk up to the table vomiting before they can so much as smell the entrees. Now, here he lies, in the shadow of Sly oldest ancestor, forever shamed across the ages.

"Ew! And Bob wanted that?!" Alauna cringed, wanting to puke herself. Alauna hasn't forgotten that Murray accidentally ate that belt once. That bypass was not pleasant at all. Ugh...the images are coming back as they speak.

"Who cares who wanted it?" Carmelita snarled. "That was all the food we had for the next couple of weeks!" None of them knew how long they'd be jumping through time. They had to ration the food wisely. She whipped around to Galeth, Salim, and Slytunkhamen, fuming from the ears and nose. "You three were here the whole time and didn't stop them?!"

"We tried!" Galeth's voice cracked. "We wanted to stop them by the first course!"

"Then they really started to get into it!" Slytunkhamen jumped in, growing animated as the contest played in his head. "They ended their courses with some strong ale and neither one seemed like they were going to slow down!"

"The next thing we knew…" Salim itched his head, "We were handing them food by the pound and, well, this came about." Bob vomited into a hole in the treehouse floor, groaning and begging for it to stop. Salim turned green and ran for a trashcan.

"Basically," Bentley rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying his damnedest not to flip out, "You three got swept up in the heat of the competition and decided to help out." Slytunkhamen and Galeth exchanged blank stares, then gave meek smiles. That was basically the gist.

"YOU THREE ARE RIDICULOUS!" Carmelita and Alauna boomed. Slytunkhamen and Galeth jumped into each other's arms, trembling at the furious women. "Now we have to go shopping! And we're currently being hunted!" Carmelita stressed.

"No, no. Not we." Alauna corrected her. She glared at the three guilty ancestors, drawing a circle from them to her. "Just us." The three went pale. Alauna put her hands on her hips, leaning forward with a serious scowl. "You three are coming with me to get more of everything," Bentley printed out the mile long grocery list for her, "And you can think about this could have been prevented while you're at it!"

"Why are you going?" Carmelita asked.

"And why does it HAVE to be you?!" Salim snarled, wiping his mouth of his bile. He doesn't want a leopard chaperoning them.

Alauna answered Carmelita first. "Because I know a cure all for their stomachs and the market has what I need. Not to mention," She gestured a thumb at the three ancestors, "These are basically Sly across the ages, so I will be able to keep them in line." Then she locked her glare to Salim. She walked up to him, getting within an inch of his face. "And it has to be me because I said so!" Sly, Carmelita, Bentley, and Murray - who came out of his coma - shrieked in horror. That's the mother of all responses for someone in a position of authority. The ancestors were a little lost as the seriousness of the claim, but weren't lost that defying Alauna when she's like this would be hazardous. They sighed resignedly. "Good. We'll be back soon."

"We'll help these two where we can." Bentley reassured her.

"Sally forth, gents." Alauna rumbled, trudging past the ancestors. "We've got a lot of work to do."

"Grr…" Salim growled in the back of his throat. "Being alone with this leopard…"

"It churns my insides as well." Galeth hissed.

"Enough, you two!" Slytunkhamen shoved them along. "She will only kill us if we dally." Hell, she might kill them anyway for letting this happen.

 **xxx**

First on the list was a wagon to carry everything, and a horse - procured by Salim and Galeth. They each split up to go recover what was lost in that food contest. Salim gathered fruits, vegetables, spices, and different creams - including butter and custards. Galeth got water, meats, cheeses, assortments of nuts, grains, and very suspicious jar of marmite. Slytunkhamen was in charge of the milk, flour, eggs, oil, sugar, baking soda, and little miscellaneous amenities that would help with making desserts and such. Alauna worked on getting the ingredients for Murray and Bob's stomach medicine - Mint for the soothing effect, citric acid crystals to alleviate gas build up, a syrup that would help with stool bypass, and distilled water with traces of lemon. For a group this big, they needed triple of everything. Especially if they decided to get creative with meals. Let's just say, with the festival going on, this took a few hours. But it was worth it. With all this, they were set for at least a couple of months.

"Alrighty, boys, good job." Alauna checked off the last item on Bentley's list. Salim lied winded on the ground, Slytunkhamen was lurched over panting, and Galeth had draped himself atop the supplies. "All we need to do now is get it back to the hideout." Easier said than done. The wagon looked like it would keel over with all this weight. That's if the ancestors don't keel over first.

"What are the odds of Bob and Murray eating all of this again?" Slytunkhamen didn't want to be negative. BUt if they did it once, they'll do it again.

"Don't worry," Alauna giggled, "Murray tends to behave himself after a stomach ache like this. And I doubt Bob's ever felt something like this, so I wouldn't worry." She waved it off.

"You sure sound confident." Galeth huffed.

"Not confident. I just know Murray and those like him." Confidence is a hinderance in her line of work. But she can let it slide when amongst friends. "Hmm…" Her brow furrowed. Her spine was tingling from a pair of unwanted eyes. Her ears twitched to the distinct sounds of someone suppressing their breathing. She laughed darkly. "Amatures."

"Says the woman who did the smallest amount of shopping!" Salim erupted in a dead sweat. Veins were popping in his head. "We work our butts off while you just get a pouch or two of medicine, and have the absolute nerve to call us amateurs!"

Alauna didn't care much for his tone. She pinched those flapping lips closed. "I wasn't talking about you, idiot! I was talking about the mouth breather lurking in the stands over there!" Galeth and Slytunkhamen looked toward the stands, not seeing anyone. Then again, they were a little tired. Salim, however, wasn't buying it. "Hope you guys still have some wind left in ya." Alauna pulled a handful of pellets from her jacket pocket. "We're gonna need to move fast." She tapped a pug man on the shoulder, flashing a gold coin in his face. "I will give you five more of these if you get all of this to here." She handed him a paper with their hideout on it. The pug man didn't even have to think. He took the coin, jumping on the horse, and was mushing it along. "Alright! Show time!"

"WAIT!" Galeth cried. Too late. Alauna smashed the pellets. A thick cloud of grey smoke filled the area. The wandering crowds panicked and ran in all directions, coughing on the smoke. The ancestors escaped the stampede, taking to the bushes. They got as far away from the grounds as they could, wanting to keep it in their view. For all this mayhem Alauna just caused, there had better be someone there.

The ancestors immersed themselves inside the bushes, peeking through breaks in the brush to see past the smoke and crowd. Nothing easy considering the crowd was thicker than the smoke. And all of their screaming made it hard to listen for anyone who may or may not approach from behind. As the smoke gradually cleared, and the crowd thinned itself out, a figure who stood stagnant amid the madness was revealed. Their form clad in black, only their piercing green eyes visible in the mask. The ancestors could hardly believe it. There was someone watching them. And he was staring straight at them. In their general direction, but there's no way he saw them...right? Ice replaced the blood in their veins when they saw him point at them. Taps came to their shoulders. The three ancestors turned around. Arrows aligned with the center of their heads. Guards from the festival got the drop on them. So they were spotted. Great. And, no surprise, the leopard was nowhere to be seen. Their kind have always been such flakes.

"On your feet slowly, Coopers!" The middle guard commanded. The three growled, glaring defiantly at their captors. The arrows touched to their skin. On Slytunkhamen's forehead was blood drawn. "I said, on-you-feet!" He repeated curtly. He would not repeat himself.

"I would listen, Coopers." The black clad man had materialized behind them. Under his mask could they see the smug grin. "Unless you each want to watch the other die inch by inch."

"Aww. But that's so boring." Crooned a voice from within the darkness. The armed guards diverted their hardened gazes from the Coopers, looking around for the person who spoke. The ancestors and the clad captor went pale as sheets. Magenta eyes pierced the darkness. A razor sharp gleam extended from the abyss. The guards saw the frightened gazes of the others. They turned on their heels, re-aiming their arrows. The raoze gleam slashed at their necks. The three guards went limp, terror filling their glazed eyes. The black clad captor and the Coopers were rooted, their jaws slackened. Then they saw it. Running down the sides of their mouths. Each guard had blood spilling from their mouths. Thin lines split in their necks. Like a zipper coming undone, their heads came rolling from their shoulders, and dropped to the ground. Emerging from the other side of the dropping bodies was Alauna. A depraved grin was on her face.

"WHAT?!" The captor bellowed. The ancestors remained silent, too scared to speak. "How! Where did you come from?! Who are you?! And why do you look like Lady Leona?"

"What irritating questions." Alauna purred, licking a speck of blood that splashed on her cheek. "And very rude considering you're the one who's been spying on us."

"GRR!" The captor drew a small knife, leaping over the bushes and ancestors. "DON'T MOCK ME!" He lunged, driving the knife for her neck. Alauna scoffed at the little man. She sheathed her sword, waited for the knife to come within a hair of her neck. She slipped to the side, a cool breeze wafting as the blade missed. She grinned as he came stumbling by her. The assailant lost his nerve in her bloodthirsty gaze. He tried to save himself, staggering to a halt and turning. Alauna latched her hand to his neck, the other to the knife. She swept a leg behind his, and as she ripped the knife away sent him hurtling onto his back. The wind was ripped from his lungs. He choked on his own spit. The ancestors had cringed, able to feel the impact. "Damn...you…" The assailant rasped dryly. Alauna flipped the knife around, stabbing him in the stomach. He howled with a curdling scream. Again were the ancestors horrified.

"I've only been in this era for a few short hours, and I have to say," Alauna knelt to one knee, hoisting her bludgeoned friend by the color closer, "I'm not impressed by any of you!"

"How dare you! _ACK!_ " He spat up blood in his mask. The knife was deep in his stomach.

"Please refrain from speaking too much. I don't need you dying just yet." She cackled. "Who are you anyway? Who sent you?"

"Someone being paid a lot to get rid of Galeth and those that freed him!" He spat. Galeth knit his brow. He should have known.

"Did that Captain send you? Or was it Leona?"

"I'll never talk!" He declared. "I'll die before I betray my land!" He swore. Alauna locked gazes with him. She can see it. Right to his core. He will never betray whoever contracted him. That sort of devotion she can respect. She admires it. "Do your worst, witch! I will never talk!"

"You don't have to." She slowly rose to her feet, her gaze growing darker. "In fact," She lifted her foot. The assailant's eyes widened with horror. The ancestors froze, pleading in their minds for her to stop, "You don't ever have to speak again." She crushed his throat, ending him on the spot. The ancestor's went limp with disbelief. "Well, that's that. What a bother." Salim hissed through gritted teeth, glaring hatefully at her. Alauna dusted her palms, flexing her stiff shoulders. "What say you we head back home."

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" He roared. He forgot to let his gelatin nerves stiffen. He lost his balance, having to grab hold of Slytunkhamen before he fell. "Was that necessary?" He hoarsely snalred. Alauna glanced back at him, finding the encroaching lecture tedious. "Did you have to kill him and them?! So brutally?!"

"Maybe not," She shrugged her hands. Not really caring if it was necessary, "But it would be a headache if he followed us back to the hideout and gave us away." She put her hands on her hips, staring in the direction of the treehouse. "Besides, if I hadn't killed them, I'd be having to explain to Sly why he's being erased from history, and to Murray and Bentley why our best friend's family is short by three."

Galeth reserved his judgement in the wake of her explanation. In the end it was for Sly, which her greatly appreciates, but he cannot abide by her methods. "But crushing his throat?" Salim pressed on. "That's so savage."

"Savage is how I've survived all these years. And besides," She leaned down, ripping the knife from the dead assailant's stomach. She flicked it to the side, spreading the blood to the grass. She gazed into the knife. The reflection staring back at her wasn't something she recognized, "I'd sooner kill someone than let them come close to killing my friends. Should that ever happen," She whisked around, aligning the knife to Salim, "There's nowhere in the world my enemies would be able to hide." Nowhere. Salim swallowed a massive lump, taking a step back. Alauna stabbed the knife into a tree, and she made her way back to the hideout. There's a small pug man who she needs to pay.

"She's scary." Galeth muttered.

"Yes she is." Salim balled his fists. "And I will never trust her."

 **Just a filler, nothing that will really be canon. Later.**


End file.
